Nervous young lad, living in a dilapidated Los Angeles manor with his nagging mother, befriends the rat population in his backyard, which comes in handy when he needs help committing a robbery or scaring off his enemies. Daniel Mann, the director of "The Rose Tattoo" and "I'll Cry Tomorrow," couldn't have been very happy about directing this venture, yet the low-budget picture grossed over $19 million at the box-office (a huge haul in 1971). It's an unpretentious exercise, and Mann does attempt to bring out the character drama within Gilbert Ralston's screenplay--and nearly succeeds. Bruce Davison works hard at creating an original, eccentric anti-hero, and the tone of the film is surprisingly jaunty, not excessively ugly or downbeat. Mann sets a brisk pace but, despite all efforts, this is still a picture designed mainly to give a squeamish audience a few visual jabs, and there isn't much to contemplate at the finale. ** from ****
Review of Willard
