Sudden Terror

"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.

In this interesting variation on THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF and THE WINDOW, a little boy(Mark Lester), known for telling tall tales, witnesses the brutal murder of a visiting President in Malta. Naturally, when he tries to tell his family they don't believe him, but the killers do! A good suspense film, but the cast is better than the material. Lester(of OLIVER fame) is outstanding as the colorful little lad, and Susan George and Lionel Jeffries as his frustrated sister and grandfather are fine support.

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 had all the trademark features to turn out be a first rate thriller in the frame of Hitchcock, but something just comes off short. Maybe because we already know how the story will play out, but director John Hough's confident, stylistic verve in his set-pieces shows how talent can transcend basic material into something better then it should. Well lets not forget the other aspects that seem to draw you in too. A beautifully picturesque Mediterranean backdrop is easy on the eyes. David Holmes' fancily off-kilter camera-work maintains a smooth flow, despite its constant imaginative changes (reflections, tilts) in positioning to invoke intrigue and tension. The music engraved in the feature by composers' Fairfield Parlour and David Whitaker has a real cheeky twinge, and very edgy awe that peppers the on screen action. It was only Hough's second feature, but definitely one of his sleepers. Some of the exciting acts (of destruction), could go on to cement themselves in his bang-bang, gust buster film "Dirt Mary Crazy Larry (1974)", which also starred Susan George. She co-stars here, but the ravishing starlet seems underdone. However Lionel Jeffries is appealingly amusing whenever in shot and Mark Lester ably does the job. There are good turns by Peter Vaughan, Tony Boner and Jeremy Kemp. The plot is straight-forward, but held together by its "The boy cried wolf" theme interwoven into a cat and mouse thriller with cracking suspense and startling jolts. Some plot devices are too convenient, but it throws up some little gloomy and lethal surprises along the way. An acceptable thriller done with enough panache.

i bought this movie because i became a fan of mark lester after watching oliver. however i was somewhat dissapointed in this movie while it is exciting theres i snoyt much too it other than the boy being chased around by the bad guys. in is very voilent for a flim rated pg but of course pg 13 did not exsit back then.i guess basically it is a good movie to watch when you have nothing better to do.