Tensão no Aeroporto

I cannot believe the negative comments I am reading here. This is a complex, atmospheric and well-acted thriller, which fully captures the 1970s atmosphere of European terrorism, fashion and mannerisms.

The photography is stunning of the Norwegian snowbound landscapes, and Sean Connery gives one of his best performances.

And to cap it all there is a great - and I mean GREAT score by Jerry Goldsmith, one of this best.

Check the scene of the plane chase through the mountains, also the stylish montage of scenes involving London being struck by terrorism in the opening credits and the way the photofit of the terrorist leader gradually appears.

Goldsmith's score is so good, it is worth watching for that alone!

Sean Connery plays a tough, uncompromising security chief who just happens to be a Swede with a distinctive Scottish burr in this forgotten thriller from the mid-70s. It's probably forgotten because it's all a bit hum-drum and consistently fails to thrill at any level. These were sort of Connery's wilderness years when he made a number of stinkers post-Bond (this, Zardoz, The Next Man) before finally hitting his stride. Having said that, he's still the best thing in this. Ian McShane can't compare and, sporting a three piece-suit and footballer's hair-do, makes a completely unconvincing terrorist.

The story is unnecessarily convoluted and – at less than 90 minutes – overlong, with a number of superfluous scenes. Characterisation is non-existent, the terrorist's ideology and objectives sketchily described, and the climax is badly bungled as black-and-white suddenly becomes a murky grey which grows even muddier when two (presumably) good guys come to blows.

The picture's one saving grace is Sven Nykvist's terrific photography. He captures some incredible images during the plane chase sequence which are simply staggering when viewed in high definition.

Sadly neglected 70's thriller shot on location in Oslo, Norway. Sean Connery looks great as "Scandinavian Security Chief" Nils Tahlvik, and director Caspar Wrede has made some great use of Oslo scenery including a West Side residential area, Oslo's City Hall and Fornebu International Airport (which closed down in 1998). It's also nice to see one of Norway's greatest stage actors, Knut Wigert, as Connery's commanding officer.

All though slow-moving at times this gritty looking thriller has a nice realistic flair to it, including some surprising plot twists along the way.

One final note: from a Norwegian point-of-view it's fun to see how much this British production has the look and feel of a 70's Norwegian film!

Update/comment on Mike's user comment with the headline "Boring Swedish hijacking action": I don't know where he gets all this "Swedish"-stuff as the movie is mainly shot on location in Norway, it has Norwegian actors in some of the supporting roles (most notably Knut Wigert and Alf Malland) and not one Swedish actor, and as IMDb states it is a British production. Sweden had nothing to do with it.

In a Scandinavian country, -name given to the three countries of Norway, Denmark and Sweden- , there a national security chief Colonel called Tahlvik (Sean Connery) is tasked to rescue the passengers of a high-jacked British airliner , only to discover that all is not what it seems . The gang of hijackers is led by Ray Petrie (Ian McShane) who seize the British plane as it is landing in Scandinavia . Meanwhile , the British Ambassador is being held hostage at his Embassy by another terrorist team. Skyjack , kidnap : A time-bomb of suspense has started ticking. Two nations are being held for ransom and... Sean Connery is the agent who takes on The Terrorists . Connery Won't Pay Ransom .Hijackers. Kidnappers. Killers. Only one man can stop them.

The action is set in Scandinavia and it concerns two terrorist events : the hijack of a passenger plane on the tarmac of a nearby airport and the kidnap of the British Ambassador whose Embassy residence has been seized by a second group of terrorists . A simple and modest thriller in the same mould as ¨The Intercine Project¨ by Ken Hughes and others at the time , which seems similarly intent on dealing with issues of contemporary relevance as grisly ¨Terrorism¨ during the violent 70s ; however all roles and events in this film are fictitious and any similarity to actual events or persons living or dead is purely coincidental . Generic title betrays its poor as well as sloppy execution . Some stock roles and formula dialogue don't help either . It turns into a straightforward , pretty enjoyable , but slow-moving and complex thriller . It results in a twisted kidnapping movie , being a decent story but middlingly adapted , if somewhat implausible terrorism tale . The movie gains in weight thanks to its typical implications and plot twists . All in all , a neat and unpretentious intrigue movie that offers more food for thought than most such unshamedly commercial movies . Although director Wrede and his cameraman Sven Nykvist are more than compelling , the film nevertheless has a distinct air of triviality due mainly to the made-for-TV ethos that seems to surround the whole production . Sean Connery gives an a decent acting as tough , law and order , Military Police Chief Colonel Tahlvik assigned to rescue the plane and its passengers but he must also deal with several problems . Just like he was a Scottish Lithuanian subcommander in ¨The hunt for Red October¨ (1990) , here Sean is a Scottish Norwegian Securirity Chief . He is very well accompanied by Ian McShane , a veteran actor still working . And a good but unknown support cast , such as : Isabel Dean , John Quentin , Robert Harris , James Maxwell , John Cording, Christopher Ellison , and other Norwegian local actors dubbed with familiar sounding British voice-over players credited at the closing credits , among others.

Good photography by Sven Nykvist , Woody Allen and Ingmar Bergman's ordinary cameraman , being shot on location in Norway , and breathtaking musical score by Jerry Goldsmith are wasted . The motion picture was professional but regularly directed by Caspar Wrede . He was a director , writer , and producer, usually for TV , known for One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich , The Barber of Stamford Hill , The New Inferno , No No ,No ¡ , Private Potter (1962), ITV Play of the Week (1955) and BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950) . Wrede was married to actress Dilys Hamlett and he had short but prestigious career . Rating : 5.5/10 . Acceptable and passable .

This film came out just two years after "Skyjacked," the first movie made about skyjacking. Most hijacking of airplanes before this were for one of two reasons – to extort money from the airlines, or to flee somewhere for political asylum. "The Terrorists" is the first movie made about organized terrorists taking over a plane. And it surely wasn't the last.

What is very good about this film is that it shows how security personnel handle the situation. It's new to all the characters in this film. Sean Connery plays the head of Scandinavian security, Co. Nils Tahlvik. While the movie uses the general term Scandinavian for the region, the event takes place in Norway, most likely Oslo. All the actors play their roles very well. The plot is complicated, and the script and direction handle it very well, so the audience is never lost about what is taking place.

The scenery and aerial photography are excellent. The flight into Russia with the buzzing and then escort by the Soviet-looking jets is most impressive. Even though the details are clear to the audience, the story has wonderful suspense as we see Tahlvik and the other characters go through their actions to meet deadlines. Connery's character also exclaims that to surrender to terrorists is to open to door to more and more terrorism. His purpose is to try to thwart the terrorists.

This is a nice film, filled with drama and suspense. There isn't a lot of action until the end. But, it is a good look at how government and security forces try to deal with terrorists and skyjackings.

"The Terrorists" has one subtle "message" of sorts. It takes a cynical stab at British government that will not arrest some criminals because they can be of use to them. The message is, that because they do that, it comes back to hurt innocent people. Connery's character insists that the law be followed, or anarchy will rule.