Becket

The three stars I'm giving the film are justified because I know the play of the same name from an excellent performance at my local theater, where the message of the play seemed more modern and multi-layered to me. The film, of course, benefits from the presence of two great acting stars, but it doesn't deny its theatrical origin or the fact that it is, from today's perspective, more like a TV show filmed in a studio with minimal outdoor scenes. From the beginning to the end, it is driven by dialogues and confrontations between two conflicting characters - an emotional king who has unlimited possibilities but is limited by his abilities, and a rational thinker named Becket who, nevertheless, decides at a certain point to follow his own value ladder rather than power calculations. The latter has much greater abilities, but his options are limited by his subordinate position. For me, this play is more suited for the stage than for the movie screen. Overall impression: 65%. (10/12/2010)

A battle of acting titans. Both men in full force, Peter O'Toole on screen two years after Lawrence of Arabia, Richard Burton in a year that saw him star in three more big movies. Which of the two is better? It's a tie, of course. When you see Burton's Becket excommunicating an enemy of the church with a demonic look in his eyes, you tend to think he's the only one who could play someone like that. It's the same when watching O'Toole's remarkable Henry, an explosive monarch who can be loathed one moment and loved the next. A certain theatricality and more modest production design do not harm the film at all, and the dialogues are razor sharp and still have something to say about how a cornered friendship can turn out. (12/18/2013)

Becket is a film that has two strong points - the names Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole. This is a duo that carries the film; the rest are essentially just background. They are incredible actors and they show it. I don't understand how Peter O'Toole didn't even get an Oscar for this. He's crazy, mesmerizing, demonic, yet still brilliant. (02/06/2017)