Bill Sykes was sexy

[PrincessHoneysuckle]

Wasn't he? Oliver Reed 1968.
Just watching Oliver! and I think i would

Hannibal Brooks. Yes to Oliver Reed sexy. Also had a bit of a pash for Michael J Pollard in that film. Now I think, what the hell was I seeing there? 😂

That's the whole point of the bad boy trope though. The man that you find attractive but who's clearly dangerous. That you get into a relationship with against your better judgement. Nancy being among the most tragic (fictional) examples.

Im talking about his looks not the fact he killed a woman ffs

You cam see how Nancy got sucked in, for sure

I don’t think the ‘man of his time’ excuse does stretch to quite that level of violence.

Had to be something attractive about him to have reeled Nancy in before the trauma bonding and misplaced maternal instincts trapped her there forever. Wonder what advice she’d get on mumsnet, can imagine her frustrating replies about him needing her while resolutely not calling Womens Aid.

It happens on every thread. It gets derailed by the point whooshing over someone’s head. Now you’re a woman hater, even if you’re a woman yourself, because you fancy a fictional man who murdered a fictional woman in a fictional film. Internalised misogyny I say🤣🤣

Yanbu op. I love the book and film and think Hes hot im both🙈

Im not sure what that says about me, I usually like the old fashioned rogues in classic books etc.

The op said she found Bill Sykes sexy. Which implied she fancied a murderous bully. I don't know how else you can read the question.

It's bizarre but amusing

Its not that anyone would fancy him because he's a murderous bully. They would fanciy him in spite of that. It's not hard to understand, surely? Film/TV/books are full of examples. Our sexual instincts aren't generally rational.

I'm not trying to be obtuse. I genuinely don't get it. Bill Sykes has no redeeming features whatsoever. What is attractive about him?

Oliver Reed, maybe.

The character Bill Sykes, definitely not.

I can’t help you then.

Indeed, or Sean Penn in Dead Man Walking, I’m sure OP means that Oliver Reed was attractive, which of course he was.

There are some really lovely photos of Oliver Reed playing with Bullseye.

Oliver Reed was also super sexy in a horror film Curse of the Werewolf (before he turned into the werewolf obviously)

@TheKeatingFive just remembered Zach Efron (pre chin plant) played Ted Bundy too

He’s no Tommy Shelby though 😬

I mean he "prostituted" Nancy and beats her up so no not really. I also don't get Oliver Reed he was a bullish alcoholic.

Just read Oliver Reed's Wikipedia entry. When he was on Desert Island Discs, "when asked what book and inanimate luxury item he would take with him on a desert island Reed chose Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne and an inflatable rubber woman.[46]" 🧐

Obviously not.

Rufus Sewell.... I saw him once, 25+ years ago. Dear God, he was beautiful. Breathtakingly, so.

People find very different things attractive, obviously. There are lots of examples of violent men with wives/girlfriends, it's not at all unusual.

Very high levels of testosterone and aggression can probably get translated into an expectation of high virility by the subconscious self. Back when we were hunter gatherers, it's easy to see the value in men who could be violent/aggressive in the face of threats. Not understanding this could be turned against them has always been something that some unlucky women live to regret.

I expect nancey also got a degree of general protection being bills girls of course the irony of him being dangerous to her also

Thoughts in your head aren’t real. They’re just thoughts. People fantasise about all kinds of stuff they will never act on. This is the same. He is a fictional character played by an actor who, for some, only looks attractive in that particular role. It’s ridiculous to list his crimes when they are made up and he’s just a fantasy. Who knows what way the human brain works at its most basic level? You can’t help who you’re attracted to. For what it’s worth, I don’t find Oliver Reed attractive and I don’t find the character attractive, but I completely understand where the OP is coming from.