I think Gothard is brilliant as the fanatical witch hunter, terrifying but balanced with just the right amount of humour and ridiculousness.
It’s sad that his career never really took off (his best-known role probably being as the silent hitman in For Your Eyes Only) and that he passed away at quite a young age.
He was an over-the-top ham in this, but in other movies I have seen him in, he did a very good job.
shareWasn’t his character actually an over-the-top ham, playing the situation for all its hellfire drama?
His character was a fraud who believed in doing anything to achieve his ends.
Yes, everything in The Devils was turned up to the max. Gothard is perfectly in tune with what Russell was aiming for. I think it's a fabulous performance although I'm sure that it would look dreadful in the context of many more restrained films.
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