Fear Is the Key

This is one of those movies with a mammoth "I did not see that coming" moment. The set up for this startling revelation is quite convincing, and Barry Newman's motivation for revenge is overwhelmingly strong. Unheralded character actor, Dolph Sweet, steals every scene he is part of. Ben Kingsley with hair takes some adjusting to, but his acting is solid. Unfortunately John Vernon was not convincing as the head bad guy, perhaps because I can't get by thinking of him as Dean Wormer in "Animal House". The movie itself is extremely uneven, with a grabber opening, followed by a prolonged car chase that seems like it was yanked right out of a "Smokey and the Bandit" movie. The actual plot is murky and difficult to follow, but is pulled together quite well in the showdown conclusion. Recommended for the unusual twisted plot and some solid performances. - MERK

Fine actioner based on Alistair MacLean's novel holds a few surprises for those lucky enough to catch this underrated gem. An unorthodox and at times bitty script is held together by an amiable cast including a young Ben Kingsley (debuting with a full head of hair) surprisingly in his only film before his Oscar winning performance of 'Ghandi' ten years later.

The screenplay is a crafty one, with Barry Newman ploughing through the first half of the film seemingly out of control and playing a role hauntingly similar to his one in 'Vanishing Point' but this time in a Ford Gran Torino, keeping the viewer guessing what's going to happen next and why. After a slightly boggy, espionage filled middle act the film coolly builds to a dramatic nail-biting finale and it is only here in the film's dying moments do you actually discover the truth. Though the ending may not quite reach some viewers expectations, it does wrap things up succinctly, making the thrills on the way (including a fine car chase that bursts from a courthouse breakout) all the more worthwhile.

Now, I know that action/adventure movies based on Alistair MacLean novels usually require a large portion of suspension of disbelief, but "Fear is the Key" is extra far-fetched! A grieving man stages an entire criminal career, including a spectacularly violent escape from the court room with murder and hostage-taking, only so that he can infiltrate as a salvage expert into a gangster squad that wants to retrieve a valuable loot from a sunken airplane. Don't worry if it sounds too convoluted or incomprehensible, as the film is easy to follow and very entertaining.

There are three main reasons why "Fear is the Key" is a class above the vast majority of contemporary adventure/mystery thrillers. #1: the chase. A film that features a nearly 20-minutes-long car chase with, behind the wheel, Barry Newman, the same cult-movie stunt driver as in the legendary "Vanishing Point"? Yes, please! Excellent Louisianan filming locations, too. #2: the cast. The aforementioned Barry Newman is cool, as always, but particularly the bad guys impress. Sure, he's typecast, but nobody depicts a loathsome villain like John Vernon does. The film also stars a young Ben Kingsley, and he's truly awesome as a silent but deadly menacing hired killer. #3: the climax. I guarantee that "Fear is the Key" has one of the most intense, captivating and edge-of-the-seat suspenseful endings you'll ever see.

I was browsing the commentary track on the DVD release of Soderbergh's movie *The Limey* where he and screenwriter Lem Dobbs are talking about Barry Newman and movies with cool chases... Lem Dobbs just so happens to mention his fondness for "Fear is the Key" and it's cool car chase sequence, etc., Once I hear the words "movie" and "cool car chase" in the same sentence my interest automatically goes through the roof... as there is nothing better I like than a movie with a cool car chase in it. I ask all my friends if they've heard of the movie and no one, and I mean NO ONE I know has ever even heard of the movie. When I was at Tarantino's 4th Annual Film Fest I asked him about the movie and he hadn't even seen it (though he just had gotten a print of it). So here for this huge period of time was this movie I had been building up and dying to see...

Well at last I finally got to see it (as I found a place that was legit and sold copies of it) and was not let down in the slightest though I will say the last 5 minutes of the movie has one of the most original and intense endings I've ever seen. The movie is worth watching for seeing a tour de force performance by Barry Newman, the very very gorgeous Suzy Kendall (whom was also in Torso), and a pre-Gandhi Ben Kingsley (with hair), a very electrifying and long car chase that is one of the coolest car chases I've ever seen in a movie, and the last 5 minutes which just sucks you in and makes you forget your watching a movie... I mean the ending just literally has you on the edge of your seat. This movie is also a must for any Alistair Maclaine fans since it was based on Alistairs novel of the same title.

The movie starts out slowly and your not quite sure where it is going to go. It drifts along for the first couple of minutes and then *BAM* it takes off like a bat out of hell and never slows down until the credits roll at the end. It is one of those few action/adventure movies where you aren't quite sure what is going to happen next, which way it will twist, nor are you really sure of the intentions or alliances that any of the characters... it just literally takes you on a wild ride of adventure and intrigue.

The car chase sequence which goes on for quite some time (like around 10 minutes or so) is just one of the all time coolest car chases you will see in a movie. I mean it's not on the level of the French Connection, or Bullitt, or the all out craziness of The Master Touch... but it is cool in it's own unique way of sorta of throwing out the usual movie rules cliche that you can only have a car chase on a road. In this movie if a car is coming down the road right at Barry Newman... he doesn't try to hit it dead on or try to out maneuver it on the actual road... he is like forget that and takes off into the woods, forest or beach or whatever is around him... you get the sense he'd take his car through a supermarket or a iceberg if he had to. Which makes the scene electrifying with movie coolness.

I would talk about the ending more but... sigh... it just is so unique and surprising... it would be a huge injustice to say anything other than it was my favorite part of the movie and I'm surprise a James Bond film hasn't ripped it off yet.

Barry Newman shines John Talbot and puts on a tour de force type of performance that is so friggin good and cool! You rarely ever get such a cool acting performance in a action/adventure type movie... yet Barry Newman here shows why he was one of the best and coolest actors of the 70's and even today!

I will say I just loved loved Suzy Kendall in this movie. Of course she is just gorgeous but I mean she made the most of her role, whereas with other actresses they could have just completely walked through the role with blandness with zero effort. I had previous seen Suzy in the movie Torso so I was already a big fan of her work.

Alistair Maclaine who wrote the novel to which the movie is based on is known for full throttle engaging novels full of adventure that once they get into gear they grab a hold of you until the very end. You can chalk this one as another one of Alistair's novels that was made into a great movie (Guns of Navarone, Ice Station Zebra, Where Eagles Dare, are some of the other and more well known).

So I am very thankful now to Lem Dobbs who inspired me to see this fine flick and hopefully now I can spread that onto others now to see this forgotten but great movie.

WOW! I watched this adaptation of an Alistair MacLean novel tonight and it is fantastic. Barry Newman stars as John Talbot, a drifter who ends up getting into it with the local police in a parish in Louisiana. He gets hauled before a judge but breaks out of the courtroom, taking oil heiress Sarah Ruthven (Suzy Kendall) hostage in the process. What happens after that is gonna remain a secret for the element of surprise.

This is a slammin' action film in reverse. The first half hour is comprised of an amazing car chase that is right up there with the likes of THE FRENCH CONNECTION. Seriously, this is one of the greatest (and unheralded) car chases of all-time (courtesy of VANISHING POINT's stunt coordinator Cary Loftin). After that, the film settles down to tell Talbot's complex story. Newman, also fresh off that other car chase epic VANISHING POINT, is quite good as the mysterious Talbot. Supporting turns include John Vernon (I wonder if he a good guy), Dolph Sweet and a weaselly looking guy in his film debut named Ben Kingsley. The stellar score is supplied by Roy Budd (GET CARTER).