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United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), WIDESCREEN (2.35:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: In this thriller based on a novel by Alistair MacLean, Barry Newman plays John Talbot, an underwater salvage expert who witnesses the murder of his wife and child. After working with the police, Talbot hatches his own scheme to bring the killers to justice; posing as a criminal, he stages the phony murder of a police officer and kidnaps Sarah Ruthven (Suzy Kendall), the heiress to a petroleum fortune. Talbot's false daring attracts the attention of a criminal mastermind who wants to recover the valuables aboard a plane that recently crash-landed in the water; however, Talbot knows that the same man was responsible for his family's death, and he intends to see that he never returns from their exploratory search of the wrecked plane. Watch for Ben Kingsley in a small role, it was his first film, prior to Gandhi in 1982. ...Fear Is the Key
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27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
If 70's fashion choices and dated music are really going to turn you off, then don't bother with this - but if you can peel past that layer, then this is well worth the effort, as what is left is a tightly plotted and engaging thriller.
Barry Newman (remember him from TV's Petrocelli..?) stars as John Talbot - an introduction shows him hearing his wife die as part of some unknown skullduggery. The action then moves to 3 years later, and he is passing through some Hicksville Louisiana town and gets involved in a brawl which lands him in court, leading to a blistering 20 minute car chase when he takes a woman hostage and flees the courtroom. How this ties together has a lot to do with things not being quite what they seem, but to say more would be unkind to those who have not seen the film before - after all, this is an Alister Maclean story, who is not particularly known for having events being all that they seem. After the chase, much of the film is interiors, and an unusual denouement which is particularly claustrophobic, which while fitting, feels somewhat anticlimactic after such an intense opening.
Look out for Ben Kingsley as a steely-eyed hitman - this was his big screen debut, and its almost disconcerting to see him with hair...
Best of all, this new widescreen version available for the first time, allows the photography to be appreciated (at least in exterior shots - the interiors are somewhat drab by comparison) without the pain of pan-and-scan, and is surprisingly clear and flawless for a 36 year old movie
I recommend not being put off by the age - this is a satisfying little thriller that gets all its details right, is just the right length, edited with a sure hand to wring tension out of scenes which otherwise could have been humdrum, and has one of the great classic 70's car chases. Thumbs up.
Barry Newman (remember him from TV's Petrocelli..?) stars as John Talbot - an introduction shows him hearing his wife die as part of some unknown skullduggery. The action then moves to 3 years later, and he is passing through some Hicksville Louisiana town and gets involved in a brawl which lands him in court, leading to a blistering 20 minute car chase when he takes a woman hostage and flees the courtroom. How this ties together has a lot to do with things not being quite what they seem, but to say more would be unkind to those who have not seen the film before - after all, this is an Alister Maclean story, who is not particularly known for having events being all that they seem. After the chase, much of the film is interiors, and an unusual denouement which is particularly claustrophobic, which while fitting, feels somewhat anticlimactic after such an intense opening.
Look out for Ben Kingsley as a steely-eyed hitman - this was his big screen debut, and its almost disconcerting to see him with hair...
Best of all, this new widescreen version available for the first time, allows the photography to be appreciated (at least in exterior shots - the interiors are somewhat drab by comparison) without the pain of pan-and-scan, and is surprisingly clear and flawless for a 36 year old movie
I recommend not being put off by the age - this is a satisfying little thriller that gets all its details right, is just the right length, edited with a sure hand to wring tension out of scenes which otherwise could have been humdrum, and has one of the great classic 70's car chases. Thumbs up.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
Barry Newman's character starts off the film with an aggressive attitude, getting him into a scrape in a diner which lands him in court. It transpires he is a wanted man and he breaks out from the courtroom by taking a bystander hostage (Suzy Kendall), who turns out to be the daughter of a local millionaire with shady connections to the bad guys Norman is looking for. The 20 minute car chase through the Louisiana countryside following the breakout is spectacular for the period. The plot is full of clever twists and the jigsaw pieces finally come together when Newman and the villain (actor John Vernon) confront each other with the truth 400 feet below the surface in a submersible running out of air, and we are shown for the first time the reason why Norman showed such scant regard for his own life throughout the film.
This was the seventh Alistair MacLean film to be filmed and it shows a fine screenplay by Robert Carrington and excellent acting by Barry Norman, later to find fame with TV's Petrocelli series (where is he now?). A great film that has stood the test of time and deserves a DVD release.
This was the seventh Alistair MacLean film to be filmed and it shows a fine screenplay by Robert Carrington and excellent acting by Barry Norman, later to find fame with TV's Petrocelli series (where is he now?). A great film that has stood the test of time and deserves a DVD release.
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I have been waiting YEARS for this film to be available in it's proper Widescreen format; after having to suffer through many viewings on TV in the Awful 'Pan and Scan' format.....It's like a Whole Different Movie!!...Incredibly sharp Widescreen compositions; the Famous Car Chase is now much better represented!!....And that SMOKING ROY BUDD SCORE!!...A Good Solid early 70's Action Programmer; with solid work from Barry Newman and the Delectible Suzy Kendall; and a Great early Ben Kingsley appearance as a Stone Cold contract killer!! Pure Manna From Heaven with This DVD REISSUE!!......A Great overlooked Early 70's Alistair MacLean Crime Film Gem Ripe for Rediscovery!!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
not bad
Got this as i heard it has a good car chase,and it does,not as good as The Driver or the original Gumball Rally but still good. Read more
Published 3 months ago by agent smith
Great action movie
A brilliant, simple revenge tale wrapped in a taut action thriller. Barry Newman, once the go to guy for this kind of role, until things changed and we started watching meatheads... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mr. S. Storey
Fear is the Key
Excellent film, as always this Barry Newman movie lived up to expectation. action all the way with some very satifying driving footage performed by the stunt artists. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Reg Salmon
Great beginning of the movie, but peters out at the end
The set-up of the movie is great. You have no idea what is going on till about the middle of the movie. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Philippe Geril
Waited a long time
Waited a long time to get this video, enjoyed it years ago and when i played it again i still enjoyed it.
Published 14 months ago by The Dane
Alistair Maclean Thriller
This is an Alister Maclean thriller.Movie is based on one of the best books that this author has written. Very good book to movie translation. Very good copy of the movie.
Published 15 months ago by Jim Lynch
Great Film!
This is a great film with the severely underrated Barry Newman (Petrocelli!)in the lead role. Great car chase in unusual surroundings, well worth a watch, puts a lot of modern fims... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Graham Cawthorne
Not the best.
Saw this is the seventies and enjoyed it. Thought it was a good film. But the quality and sound of the DVD is very poor, had to turn volume on full to hear dialogue. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Stallion
Well worth a look
I bought it because it's got Barry Newman of "Vanishing Point" fame and I had seen part of the car chase on You Tube. Read more
Published on 27 Feb 2010 by Mr. Greg Wapling
Fear Is The Key doesn't live up to the memories.
Fear Is The Key unfortunately has dated over the years . Barry Newman is good in the title role but and it's a big but this film suffers greatly by the presence of Suzy Kendall who... Read more
Published on 27 Dec 2009 by trevor walters
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