Whilst Oliver Reed had rightly earned himself a reputation as a tough and often hard man, even reflecting these qualities in the roles he took, it was his appearance in the cinematic adaption of Oliver Twist which will stand out as being the most memorable for most. When thinking of Oliver!, most people will tend to think of the musical numbers and a band of orphans who get up to some lovable hijinks whilst the eponymous hero strives to find parental love once more. So when you place a notorious hard man in the middle of all that, you have a recipe for discomfort. Reed's Bill Sikes is the black heart of the film; he never shows any form of emotion other than when he is dealing out brutality to helpless victims. Not only does he callously abuse both the groups of orphans and their elderly leader, Fagin, but Sikes also murders his own wife in a fit of violent rage at her protection of Oliver. Nancy was the closest thing to a mother that Oliver has in the story, and so for Sikes to kill her in cold blood is one thing, but for it to happen in the midst of an otherwise family friendly musical is another matter entirely. Reed's icy stare and grumbled delivery gives the character the perfect foundation from which to perform his skin-crawling deeds.
