Attack on Fear

I think this is too good a movie to be relegated to the dustbin of history and I agree with the previous reviewer that it has stood the test of time very well. It's also a rare look at the tiny town of Point Reyes Station, located about 30 miles north of San Francisco and about 30 miles south of Bodega Bay, where Hitchcock filmed THE BIRDS. (By the way, the little newspaper depicted in the movie, The Point Reyes Light, is still publishing today!) Unfortunately, it's clear that the studios have no intention of releasing this, even though many lesser made-for-TV movies have been widely released on commercial home media. So if anyone has this on VHS or DVD (or even 16mm!), I'd be grateful if you'd get in touch with me. THANKS!

I particularly enjoyed this film because of the competent characterisation delivered by Paul Michael Glaser. The reporter's struggle with the truth and how to tell it comes across very well, often just because of a look or the change of a stance. The acting is subtle, but powerful. It's just a shame that the other actors are not as strong.

The film deals with a topic that is just as up-to-date as it was in 1984 - how much truth does a reporter tell, how much do the readers want to believe, and how can you tell that truth?