Bonecas Acorrentadas

I've grown up reading Alistair McLean's books and I have watched a couple of movies based on his books. There are some pretty good ones made. But this one is probably the best. Mainly because the characters are pretty interesting and the story line is one of the most original ones you will come across (considering the fact that this is as old as 1972!). Movies on drugs/drug trafficking etc. have been inspired from this slick pic! The hero (Sven Bertil-Taube) is cool as a cucumber (just the way McLean sketched it) .. and he suits his role to the hilt. The plot is usual McLean and the concept is WOW! No review of this film is complete without a mention of the Speed Boat chase in the canals of Amsterdam. My Gawd' ! The "French Connection" road chase, the "Ronin" road chase, the "Tomorrow Never Dies" speed boat chase around the Millennium Dome are all inspired by this superbly crafted sequence which is interspersed with aerial shots, close-ups, action shots and more. Even without a background score, this sequence is great! This movie is a MUST WATCH! :-)Enjoy!

Back in the early 1970's the name "Alistair MacLean" meant "bums on seats ~ ticket sales" and the cinematic release of one of his most recent novels "Puppet on a Chain" was no exception.

It is wrong to compare this action movie (as with many, many others) with the on-going JB007 franchise: this was a formulaic movie in its own field. The action scenes are great, the storyline was then bang up-to-date and the general production (if marred a little by lack of budget) of a high standard.

Contrary to other views, in my opinion, the leading actor Sven Bertil-Taube was excellent in the role (a shame the script required him to be an American agent) and he was well supported by several character (if rather stock) actors. Pehaps Barbara Perkins was not the best choice as leading lady and her character lacked realism but then this was never meant to be anything other than entertainment.

Contains a superb score by the Maestro: Piero Piccioni.

Far from perfect but still very good and worthy of a decent DVD release.

Wow Paul Sherman is one badass secret agent . Look what he does to that man in the hotel bedroom , he`s someone who takes no prisoners and makes James Bond look like a total wimp . But that`s the problem with PUPPET ON A CHAIN , Sven Bertil Taube is no Sean Connery and lacks the presence needed to convincingly play a ruthless secret agent . I also found it strange that if the story is set in Holland that nearly everyone speaks with either an American or British accent except for Paul Sherman who`s supposed to be American but has a noticable European accent . Still this is a fairly good , though slightly dumb thriller which does feature go go dancers . How many Bond films can claim that ?

The speedboat chase in the Amsterdam canals in this film is actually being copied by Dutch director Dick Maas in his 1988 film 'Amsterdamned'. I always thought how original it was to have such an out of the ordinary, yet in Amsterdam obvious chase, but apparently it is less original as I thought. In the 18 year older 'Puppet on a Chain' the chase is as vivid and dynamic as in Maas' film, although one detail in Amsterdamned should catch the viewer's attention. Just like in Puppet on a Chain, the villain almost crashes his boat into an oncoming barge, a thrilling moment. In 'Amsterdamned' this barge has a fanfare band, conducted by 'actor', and Holland's famous Oscar-winning documentary director Bert Haanstra. It makes the already exhilarating scene more colourful, and provides it with a light touch. This detail encapsulates an often noticeable and important difference between English and Dutch film-making if you ask me; It seems that in Dutch films a doses of ridiculing of a serious action or scene is indispensable. Fact of the matter is that the 'original' film, Puppet on a Chain, is more believable because of its absence of this ridiculing. I also find it very interesting to see sceneries of my home country (Holland) in such a serious crime intrigue, where BTW everybody speaks British English!

In Amsterdam to track down a murderous heroin smuggling ring, US agent Paul Sherman faces deadly danger at every turn as he seeks to unravel the mystery of how the drug is transported to the US, and to unmask those responsible.

I was quite cautious of seeing this Alistair Maclean film adaptation because Maclean movies can be a mixed bag, some great, some not-so, however I was quite surprised. It's a not bad adaptation, of course it's not as great as the book - which is one of my favourite Maclean novels - but it captures the book's vicious underbelly of the drugs world, the seedy Amsterdam streets and its canals, and the macabre puppets on a chain fairly well. There's some gritty action, the fistfights can be quite brutal and exciting. There's plenty of judo moves! Of course, this is all overshadowed by a 9 minute rousing boat chase between the good guy and bad guy. The problem is that the plot doesn't flow well and it looks like it's joined up with glue, however it's reasonably watchable.

Sven-Bertil Taube is quite tough and determined as Sherman, though he comes off a bit as a shop floor dummy and lacks the sardonic wit of the character. The rest of the cast - Patrick Allen, the pretty Barbara Parkins, Alexander Knox, Penny Casdagli and Ania Marson - play their parts well.