A Father's Revenge

Sometimes movies made for TV, like this one, are by far much better than movies made for theaters. A Father's Revenge is a fantastic thriller and Brian Dennehy is a marvelous actor. For years I have been trying to buy this movie with no success. If you ever have the opportunity to see this marvelous film, don't miss it!

I remember seeing this movie on a Sunday night-made-for-TV movie back when I was in High School. I remember being blown away by how the father of one of the airline stewardesses being held hostage in a foreign country, decides to take matters into his own hands: drops everything and flies over to Europe because he feels that it will only help not hurt the situation instead of sitting home and being idle and feeling helpless to do anything about it. The father(played by Brian Dennehy) and his wife are suddenly living a parent's worst nightmare-child being held captive/unknown whereabouts. Ofcourse, this story has a happy(and speaking for myself, emotional too) ending. Years later, being a parent, I can honestly say that if It were me in that predicament, I would have done the same thing.

Honestly, this movie deserves a higher rating. I saw it several years ago in television and have been trying to buy it with no success. This movie is a fantastic thriller and Brian Dennehy is an excellent actor. Hope to have the opportunity of seeing this marvelous film again. If someone can tell me where I can get Father's Revenge, I'll appreciate it.

Like a great number of the more dutiful denizens of Dennehy county, I humbly consider his exciting 1988 offering from the charismatic, much loved character actor to be one of Dennehy's very best! This pacy, above average revenge thriller has angered patriarch, Paul Hobart (Brian Dennehy) desperately taking the law into his own hands when his only daughter, Karen (Helen Patton) is held hostage by increasingly murderous leftist terrorists in Frankfurt, Germany. Acting alongside the burly Dennehy is a juicy-looking, Joanna Cassidy, an oleaginous, Ron Silver, and, Anthony 'Callan' Valentine is on especially menacing, fleet-fisted form as stilleto cool, ex-SAS operative Vickers. Herzfeld's gritty, pulse-quickening drama 'A Father's Revenge' remains a compelling 80s Euro-thriller!!!! The darker than expected tone, moody cityscapes and sporadic brutality lend an additional gravitas to Herzfeld's gripping, far from humdrum 80s TV Movie! The agreeably synth heavy soundtrack is by notable German film composer, Klaus Doldinger.

Brian Dennehy comes to West Germany to rescue his Daughter from terrorists who have taken her hostage. Although short on action, the film moves at a rapid pace, as the desperate Dennehy enlists rather unorthodox methods for freeing his Daughter. Though not always logical, "Payback" a.k.a. "A Father's Revenge" is entertaining. The German locations add realism, and the acting is totally acceptable. Some of the accents are difficult to understand, but I guess that is the price for realism. The indifference of both the German and American Governments for dealing with terrorists is what eventually forces Dennehy to take action on his own. - MERK