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Just what I expected

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Highly sensitive and important thriller charting the dilemma of homosexuals being extorted for what they are and bringing the necessary attention to inhuman legislation in the field to have it reformed and changed. This was the first film of its kind in England and was soon to be followed by others. Dirk Bogarde makes a very truthful characterization of the lawyer who risks his career, well aware that he can't avoid public unpleasantness or even ruin, by taking up the fight with the blackmailers. The tension of the thriller is that you can never guess who the real blackmailer is until the motives behind it surfaces toward the end. Sylvia Syms makes an equally convincing performance in playing the honest wife who realizes the importance of uncompromisingly facing the truth. The insight into the matter goes deep and is very revealing in its thoroughness and more or less exposes the whole width of the terrible dilemma, which should have been settled with already by the experience of Oscar Wilde. Here it takes two suicides for the matter to be brought to final trial, and it was definitely about time. Dennis Price is also in it, and Peter McEnery opens the drama by staging a mystery - its revelation brings on Dirk Bogarde to action. Philip Green's music adds to the drama, and Basil Dearden's direction is uncompromisingly relentless.

It's weird looking back at the older movies and then slowly getting more modern. It's interesting to see the movies tackle on more mature subjects. This is the earliest movie I have seen that was explicitly about homosexuality. It's kind of cheating for me to give this 10 stars. It's not the best written of its kind, but I simply love it. It might only be because it's great to see an early positive and realistic portrayal of homosexual discrimination. I had no idea that the British actually banned homosexuality, but I don't know how accurate this is. This is a disgusting notion that stops people from being unique and living their lives to the fullest. I don't want to make this review a political rant.The story features a guy who is not only gay, but also happens to have a wife himself. It's revealed that while it was mostly a cover-up, he does sincerely care about his wife, just not in that way. I don't think I have even seen any modern movies that deal with this topic. It truly is interesting to see something most people would just not talk about being discussed in such an old movie. The pacing is great and it never felt too long or short. The acting is quite good and I really feel for all these characters as their lives are being destroyed simply because of whom they love. Historically, I know very little about the history of gay rights. Well, this doesn't deal with American struggles. It's still a wonderful film that everyone should see. God doesn't make junk. ****

I know I'm alone (or maybe there's people who are too afraid to say what they really think about a film disagreeing with the invisible but at times appealing "common sense") but "Victim" is not that good, it is very dated and for an admirer of LGBT themed films this is very low even for an important subject matter that was treated as something so dark and twisted, with no chance of goodness.Might have been groundbreaking at the time of its release for using the word 'homosexual' for the first time on the screen and for changing British laws concerning homosexuality but now it is so depressing and awful that it has a worrying ability to show how England had unfair and misguided laws against homosexuals. In Basil Dearden's film, Dirk Bogarde is a respected lawyer that investigates a blackmailer who threatens several gay men (they are closeted persons since during the time it was a crime being a homosexual), and one of the victims was a young boy, affair of the lawyer, who killed himself after being arrested. Now he might have to risk his career, reputation and family to arrest this person. My objection to this story is the way the script dealt with it, very confusing in its character presentation, crossing everyone in a obtuse and complex way that was difficult to handle or accept it. When the storm of characters stop, comes the film noir style for a dramatic story that could be more emotional, less painful to watch and a little bit positive instead of a negative view of gays, negative view on all the British (yes, since if the characters are not gay they are homophobes, repressive, combative and blackmailers who take advantage of a ridiculous law).I don't know what was more concerning, the portrayal of the gays, played all as emotionless figures who simply have needs but don't know how to love (someone makes this remark in the film); the homophobe bar owner who happens to attend gays; or the people who blackmail making of these a pathetic and awful lifestyle. I haven't found the performances good or bad (but the cute boy, reason of all Bogarde's crusade, was interesting and had the best moments in the film, sad, he appears briefly), but the story wasn't as brilliant and educative than a similar film named "Anders als die Andern" ("Different from the Others")(1919), a German film that introduced the first gay character in film history, a movie elucidative and so ahead of its time in bringing to public the difficult of the homosexual condition treating as a case of normal behavior rather than something to be punished with imprisonment. But at least in "Victim" Dirk Bogarde risked his career just as much Conrad Veidt did in the 1919 film and that's something to be applauded. It made me angry because I expected more from a so well talked film, and it made me sad after so much pessimistic things presented in both sides of the matter. It might work for those who wants to comprehend the incomprehensible British laws against homosexuals that existed for a long time; you're gonna see a historical look on the subject but that's it. 3/10

It is 1961 but the so - called "Swinging Sixties" are still in the unimaginable future.Homosexual acts between males are against the law.A married barrister is so deep in the closet he's in Narnia.A young male friend "Boy" Barrett is desperate for help as he is on the run after embezzling money to pay off a blackmailer.His calls to the barrister go unanswered and he hangs himself in a police cell,in his possession a scrapbook with press cuttings referring to the barrister's career. Melville Farr (Mr Dirk Bogarde) is about to take silk,the first step to a possible judgeship down the line,but his guilt over his feelings towards Barrett and his deception of his wife finally leads him to try and track down the blackmailer whatever the cost to himself. "Victim" cleverly weaves a straightforward detective story with a plea for tolerance towards homosexuals in an age when it was in rather short supply. Mr Bogarde gives a very moving performance as Melville Farr,a man who has for many years subjugated his natural instincts to conform with the perceived "normality" of his class and profession.After a disastrous gay affair he married the very young and naive daughter of a judge and clearly loves her but is still tortured by his feelings towards his own sex. The wife is played by the very beautiful Miss Sylvia Sims,hot on the heels of playing Mr Laurence Harvey's showgirl lover in "Expresso Bongo". This stunning,versatile actress is as sensitive and vulnerable as Bogarde's wife as she was brash and hard - boiled as Harvey's girlfriend. Mr Derren Nesbett is brilliantly slimy as the repressed gay blackmailer's bagman.Looking for all the world like a malevolent Zoot Sims,he plays his part with lip - smacking relish. But much of the joy in "Victim" is in the careful casting of the smaller roles,none of whom falls into the easy trap of stereotyping gay men. Having been brought up in gay - friendly Brighton I was familiar with the demi- monde homosexuals felt they were forced to inhabit and it is well - realised in this picture.I am a little surprised that the pub featured in "Victim" wasn't one of the several London venues which gays had made their own,even in the 1950s.Still,perhaps the producers were using the "pub as a microcosm of society" argument. Despite perhaps a slight over - egging of the "gays are just folks" pudding,this is a fine picture,one which signalled a change of direction for Mr Bogarde's career,gave notice to the public that there were severe inequities in the way the law regarded sexuality,and demonstrated that British Cinema was still a force to be reckoned with. If you wish to learn for yourself the injustices visited on homosexual men prior to the Wolfenden report,read "Against The Law",a 1954 memoir by Peter Wildeblood who - along with Lord Montagu and Michael Pitt - Rivers - was imprisoned for having sexual relations with servicemen. his account of hypocrisy in high places details the price paid by gay men 50 years ago that helped achieve the freedom they enjoy now.