O Pêndulo

Just saw this movie again after 39 years. Well-acted period piece. Out-dated by today's standards, but still a decent night at the movies. What really caught my attention was how George Peppard chained smoked throughout this film. The guy burned one in every scene. Aside from that, he did give a creditable performance, but nothing to write home about.

Jean Seberg looked beautiful. She was a rare beauty and very talented as well. She is wasted here, but her brief time on scene does capture your attention.

The supporting cast of veteran actors do a professional job. The only real problem is that the film drags at times and lacks any real action. The ending was typical, but this was 1969, so don't expect too many surprises.

Peppard is ideally cast as inflexibly hard-nosed cop who gets sucked through the looking-glass when indicted for his cheating wife's murder. Charles McGraw and Richard Kiley are both magnificent in the key supporting roles. Dana Elcar and Isabel Sanford also add poignantly amusing support. Director George Schaeffer's pacing and choice of score is perfect for the genre. And, many of the key ironies are even more appropriate today than when the film was made. Very highly recommended.

I had never heard of "Pendulum" before and as shocked how good the movie was. It's definitely among the best films of the 1960s even though it's a rather obscure movie.

George Peppard stars as Captain Matthews...a decorated cop who recently arrested a murderous psychopath. However, two things happen that will become important. First, Matthews' wife is cheating on him and he is beginning to suspect the truth. Second, due to a technicality, the psychopath has been released even though everyone knows he is guilty. How do these two things work together to REALLY impact on the Captain? See the film.

George Peppard is really good here. The other actor who was a major standout is Robert Lyons as the psychotic murderer and rapist. He's quite smug and chilling! Now one part of the film MIGHT seem like a cliche that isn't is when the Captain escapes from custody after he's arrested (yes, he ends up being arrested for a double murder). Normally, this is a bad plot element...the notion of an innocent man escaping in order to prove he's not guilty. Here it's handled well...as it's obvious that for political reasons the Captain is assumed to be guilty and the cops aren't even considering other options. In a case like this, you can understand Matthews' actions.

Overall, a very exciting, taut and suspenseful film...well worth seeing because it is so intelligently made from start to finish. So good, I nearly gave this one a 10....and I almost never do that!

This movie is incredibly underrated. The performances are all top notch, from Peppard and Seberg down to the smallest role, though Seberg's part is short. In my opinion, Madeleine Sherwood and Robert F. Lyons deserved Oscar nominations for their performances. They were flawless and mesmerizing as the white trash woman and her psycho son. I couldn't take my eyes off them when they were on screen. I so wish the movie was available on DVD! This film should have made a star of Robert F. Lyons. I have no idea why it didn't. It's well-written and believable, nicely directed. Someone please put this out on DVD! I want to watch this again and again.

A bit preachy in the Jack Webb style but plot wise it's a good movie to spend 100 minutes watching. Peppard leads the cast. Seberg is hardly present in the movie yet she receives 2nd billing. The supporting cast is good with a few tv familiar faces including Dana Elcar and Isabelle Sanford. The exterior shots are interesting to see as a time capsule of Washington DC in 1968. The Columbia back lot used for many tv shows is used but with an obvious matte painting to hide some of the wide shots that would have shown to much of the studio. The content is mature but it is not a film to be given as many ads say an R rating by the mpaa. It would most likely be rated PG today no more no less. No nudity, no severe language, violent but not terribly unwatchable. It could be on tv today completely uncut. It's definitely not R! Enjoy.