Fear Is the Key [DVD]

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'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.

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!!