Mortelle rencontre

An effective suspense story with terrific performances by Hayley Mills and Simon Ward. Mills was twenty-seven at the time and was obviously working to completely shed what was left of her POLLYANNA/DISNEY image. Given that the actress appears throughout the film in various stages of undress, and is seen in several other compromising positions, I would say her plight was successful. Though the story may at first seem like a transparent/psycho-on-the-loose chiller, the film has some strikingly effective new twists, and there are enough red herrings for two films! The film has been unavailable on video for some time and rarely appears on TV, but it's most certainly worth the extra effort to find it!!!!!

Good movie plots remain with me. This is a movie I'd seen as a child and am lucky to find it here. It's a plot I've never forgotten and has quite a twist at the end. The only actor I remembered was Simon Ward. The acting was fine and, like so many of the British movies I've seen, nothing is overdone. No unnecessary violence and things blowing up for the sake of a boom. They don't write enough movies like this one. Other moves like this one is Vanishing Act with Elliot Gould, Silent Partner with Elliot Gould, and Sudden Fury (a very little known Canadian movie which should not be confused with the idiotic action film of the same name).

If you're the kind of movie fan who hates predictable movies then this movie is for you.

A melodramatic and exciting thriller, boasting a dead man's chest full of red herrings plus an excellent British cast ( and Sterling Hayden), this tale of mayhem will likely keep you guessing to the very end as the plot twists and turns with the very lovely and talented Hayley Mills and "Young Winston" star Simon Ward at their best.There is a bonus, too. What Roy Boulting gave us a teeny peek of in "The Family Way" during Miss Mills' bath scene is revealed in it's divine perfection as British Film Industry veteran Sidney Hayers gives us a bathtub scene of his own. The movie belongs to Hayley anyway so that was a nice gift. WOW!

One surprise after another in this (would you call it a thriller?) English film. I especially liked it because it showed me a lot of England as it might look from a car window (at least in 1975). Stores, pubs, petrol stations and the everyday places you would encounter traveling along the road. All sorts of action takes place yet (somehow) it still manages to be on the slow side despite the excitement that keeps cropping up. The mystery of it, and its oddity and unpredictability keep it going. For some reason I really found the sounds in this film appealing.

Being a big fan of road movies, this rarity instantly appealed to me. It's a British production, a thriller which has enough twists, turns, tricks and red herrings to rival any recent blockbuster. By keeping the plot simple (it's a bit like a low-key, subtle version of THE HITCHER), the director allows us to focus on the characters in the film and get to know them as events unfold through plenty of down-to-earth dialogue. It's a simple way of grabbing the audience's attention, but you'd be surprised how many films can't even grasp this simple concept.

Every trick in the book is pulled out here to keep the pace flying along. There's plenty of action, car chases, some weird psychological flashbacks which only reveal their importance at the film's climax, drama, suspense, plus the expected violence and nudity required to make this a sleazy epic. And it's all British, too, which gives it a novelty value unlike any other film I've seen - as I've said before, a little bit of originality goes a long way.

Another plus is the high standard of acting on display here from the two leads. Both Simon Ward and Hayley Mills utterly convince us that they are the characters that they play, each with distinctive personalities and their own ways of dealing with situations. Ward is thoroughly charismatic and appealingly innocent as the young man who may or may not be a killer, while Mills bypasses the "screaming girl" factor so apparent in many horror films to become a fully-fleshed, believable person who proves to be resourceful and independent time and time again. American legend Sterling Hayden also pops up for a cameo as a quirky old chap who thinks that his luck's in with Mills - it isn't.

This is a film which had me gripped right until the very end. Only in the closing minutes is the killer's identity confirmed, so it has you guessing right up until then. All this and plenty of fun moments too, such as a pair of Hells Angels who get more than they bargained for when one of their bikes is run off the road and explodes! What makes this film work for me is that the film is firmly rooted in reality, making what happens all the more interesting and involving. All the characters come across as real, everyday folk and even the British weather is spot on. DEADLY STRANGERS is a good example of clever, intelligent film-making and of what can be achieved on a low budget. Outstanding.