Good guy/bad guy

He was great in both types of role. There was something likable about him, even when he was playing someone like Bill Sykes or Harry Lomart in Sitting Target. Even when he was trying to kill women and kids, he came across as a cool character, which is very hard to do. I didn't care for his villainous turn as Otto Von Bismarck in Royal Flash, though. He was kind of dull n that one.

My personal favorite roles from Reed are the anti-hero style characterizations he did in The Three Musketeers and sequels and Crossed Swords, as well as The Hunting Party. I also liked Father Grandier in The Devils. I think his roguish anti-heroes are his best.

Reed was at his best in historical swashbucklers. I wish he had made more films set in Medieval and Renaissance times.

I prefer him bad. My favourite of his is as the melodramatic reprobate in 'Paranoiac' (1963). He could play a drunken man so well as in this. That movie is a good mystery by Hammer.

Bill Sykes