FEAR IS THE KEY (1972) - Movie Review

Director: Michael Tuchner
Starring: Barry Newman, Suzy Kendall, John Vernon, Dolph Sweet, Ben Kingsley, Ray McAnally
Genre: Action, Thriller, Drama, Crime
Writer: Robert Carrington
Runtime: 103 min
Rated: PG
Buy This Movie: Blu-ray (Amazon), Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

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Synopsis:

A deep-sea salvager (Barry Newman) kidnaps an oil heiress (Suzy Kendall) in a scheme to trap killers seeking gems in the Gulf of Mexico.

Review:

Based on the novel of the same name written by Alistair MacLean ("The Guns of Navarone"), the revenge thriller "Fear Is The Key" is a typical 1970s flick, a perfect mixture of slick cars, groovy music, electrifying stunts and the good old-fashioned conspiracies that were all the rage during those paranoid years.

Directed by Michael Tuchner ("Villain", "Mister Quilp"), the film stars the effortlessly cool Barry Newman ("Vanishing Point") as underwater salvage expert John Talbot, who arrives in a small Louisiana town, immediately picks a fight with a police officer and gets arrested. As he is brought before a judge, he makes his escape by kidnapping an innocent bystander, Sarah Ruthven (Suzy Kendall), who also happens to be the heiress to a petroleum fortune. His actions puts him in the crosshairs of criminal mastermind Vyland (John Vernon) who has some use for his particular set of skills, setting in motion a series of unexpected twists and turns.

The film's highlight is easily a lengthy and impressively staged car chase coordinated by Carey Loftin ("Bullit", "The French Connection"). It's the kind of high-octane, high-speed vehicular mayhem that the 1970s are famous for. Unfortunately, it's also the film's only major action sequence and takes place near the very beginning, which is a bit of a letdown if you were expecting more of the same throughout. The chase also drags on for a bit too long (20 minutes total), as if trying to pad out the runtime, especially considering nothing of real consequence happens during this sequence.

The story then settles into suspense thriller territory and is filled with several nail biting scenes and some neat plot twists, which is why I won't go too much into the what, the where and the who. I've noticed that some synopses actually spoil some important details that are only really revealed at the very end, which takes away from the appeal of gradually unpacking those revelations. It really helps going in knowing as little as possible about the plot.

Another standout is the "breathtaking" third act climax, which is incredibly tense and sharply written, bookending the film with one hell of a payoff. It's easily one of the most unique endings I've ever seen in a movie. Also worth mentioning are the fantastic banger of a score composed by Roy Budd ("Get Carter") and the amazing cast that also includes character actors Dolph Sweet ("Gimme a Break! ") and Ray McAnally ("The Mission", "My Left Foot"), as well as Ben Kingsley in his big screen debut. Kingsley followed this film up with a ten-year theatrical hiatus to work in theatre and television, which ended with his Oscar-winning role in the 1982 film "Gandhi".

"Fear Is The Key" is a decent adaptation and a prime example of 1970s action thriller cinema. It's definitely not without its faults. While I enjoyed the suspenseful buildups, it may feel a little too drawn out, the plot's logic may also fall apart when scrutinized, and I hear the book is way better, although I have personally not read it. Regardless, it's heaps of fun and quite unpredictable, extremely entertaining and watchable for what it is, and well worth checking out.

SCORE: 7/10