Sudden Terror

I very rarely write reviews that are not positive, but once in a while when I see a movie that is particularly painful and I personally find way overrated, well, I feel I should at least leave a brief comment about it, even though it may be against the tide or opinion.

Maybe, it's just that the film itself is a product of its time (1970) but for me, having to wade through the first almost 30 minutes and all the 'Cutesy' little scenes and the scenes that set up the parade that too FOREVER, and then when I got to when Mark Lester is trying to tell them about the shooting, and then having to endure the ever so painful Susan George's HUGE overacting, well... seriously, we are already a 1/3 the way through the movie and, at least for me, has been quite a trial.

I SUPPOSE that if you can put up with all the what I feel are very Cheeeeeeezy directorial flourishes and almost every scene screaming 'Look at me how showy I'm being!', and can just get through the story, maybe you possibly might be able to get something out of it.

It's not that I am a snob by any means and I do love a variety of films, some can be rather silly or over the top, some more clever, some deeply scary and atmospheric, that's fine. But, when the combination of what I feel is very amateurish direction (where I would personally lay the most fault) and grossly overacting and paper thin characters at best, I'm sorry, for me I honestly just find it truly painful to watch.

I hope that this may help those who may feel similar to the way I do, as opposed to the many rather positive reviews that are here. I gave it a fairly rare '4'...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MY PARTICULAR WAY OF RATING:

5 - Flawed, but with some entertainment value.

6. A decently passable story maybe worth a watch.

7. A solid film, well made, effective, and entertaining.

And, obviously, you can probably figure out what above and below these would mean... : )

Pros: a beautiful scenery, the plot itself is OK, a few not quite expected events, there's some suspense, a few chases and some of the actors did pretty well. Not an amazing film, but it's pretty good, all things considered.

Cons: the grandfather is way too eccentric and behaves like a retired magician, or a circus ringmaster, not at all like a retired high rank military officer. I get that he likes his grandson and is amused by his free spirited attitude, and while that is cute, there's simply no way to take the grandpop's behaviour seriously. It's just not believable and it did spoil the film for me a fair bit. With that being said, while he acts strangely throughout most of the film, he turns into some sort of action hero towards the end.

If you like a good thriller this is the film for you, there are scenes which will keep you glued to your seats. Ziggy, (Mark Lester) plays the role as a little boy who has an older sister named Pippa, (Susan George) and they live with their grandfather who lives in a lighthouse on the Island of Malta. Ziggy has a great imagination and many times tell stories that are not true and no one really believes anything he tells them. One day Ziggy sees an assassination and also knows what he looks like and can identify this person who is in high authority on Malta. Ziggy is hunted down by this person and no one will believe him when he tries to tell his sister Pippa, they all get mad at him except his grandfather. Susan George looked radiant and very charming playing a great role along with a great child star, Mark Lester. Don't miss this film, it is great entertainment.

This has a certain amount of promise with its Maltese setting, a host of reliable British actors, a young Mark Lester and a fairly young Susan George. Although the cinematography is fairly sparkling, with shots into motorcycle mirrors, faces caught through gates and a superbly photographed car chase and aftermath, the director seems bored and as much time is spent letting Lionel Jeffries go on just a little too long than opening up a decent story line. There is, as might be expected, too much time with Lester too. Appealing enough as the young lad is, numerous sequences of him chasing or being chased make this seem more like a children's film than anything else, however attractive the streets of Valetta. Regarding the stop and start soundtrack, as an old fan of Van der Graaf Generator, I kept an ear out for their supposed contribution. No luck and nobody seems clear just what their input was but I'm assuming it was their music helping to make that road chase at the end so memorable.

"Eyewitness", a.k.a. "Sudden Terror", is an engrossing adaptation (by Ronald Harwood and an unbilled Bryan Forbes) of a novel by John Harris. While it holds no major surprises, it does deliver at least one twist that the viewer *might* not see coming. It also delivers some fine suspense and action scenes, and benefits a lot from its exotic locale.

It's set on the island of Malta, where an imaginative boy, Ziggy (Mark Lester of "Oliver!" fame) lives with his sexy older sister Pippa (Susan George, "Die Screaming Marianne") and his grandfather (Lionel Jeffries, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang") in a lighthouse. Ziggy is prone to a rich fantasy life, so naturally his family is inclined *not* to believe him when he tells them the truth: he witnessed a policeman committing the murder of a visiting dignitary. Thus, the perpetrator (top British character actor Peter Vaughan, 'Game of Thrones') and his accomplice (Peter Bowles, "Blowup") spend the remainder of the running time hunting down the unfortunate Ziggy.

"Eyewitness" is quite fun, as it spins a fairly familiar "Boy Who Cried Wolf" type of yarn. It makes time for a little romance, between Pippa and a vacationing nice-guy stranger named "Tom Jones" (Aussie actor Tony Bonner, "The Man from Snowy River"), as well as some entertaining character details & humour. (Tom dislikes brandy, yet it seems to be the only drink that Grandpa will offer him.) It's willing to go to some dark places along the way, and there is also some fairly graphic violence when characters get shot. It all culminates in a well-executed vehicle chase.

The excellent cast features Betty Marsden ("Carry On Camping"), Joseph Furst ("Diamonds Are Forever"), and David Lodge ("The Return of the Pink Panther") as well, although it is Jeffries, as the crusty, witty "old" man (he was in his mid-forties at the time), that tends to steal the show. Knowing the difference between fantasies and outright lies, it is Grandpa that is first to start lending some credence to Ziggy's story.

All in all, a good film that kick-started the filmmaking career of John Hough, whose 70s classics include "Twins of Evil", "Dirty Mary Crazy Larry" (working with George again), "The Legend of Hell House", and the two Disney "Witch Mountain" features. Actor-turned-filmmaker Forbes was also the unbilled executive producer; Jonathan Demme was the music coordinator, and Gary Sherman (director of "Death Line", "Dead & Buried", "Vice Squad", and "Poltergeist III") designed the opening titles.

Seven out of 10.