ThiefHott Too much of everything

Borserie it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Griff Lees Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Mark Turner Author Ken Follett was making a name for himself long before the current crop of spy thriller authors came along. Along with a few other writers he took on the job of creating a believable world of spies in the tradition of Ian Fleming's James Bond and the sales of their books led to those being created today. In 1976 he wrote the novel EYE OF THE NEEDLE and in 1981 it was made into a feature film. The movie didn't do amazing box office but it did offer a well thought out slow burn spy thriller that takes place in WWII.It's shortly before D-Day and preparations are in order to launch an attack against Germany by the allied forces. Germany has been doing their best to infiltrate England and the find out when the attack will come and where it will come from. Inserted into the country their top spy, a ruthless assassin and sociopath, has discovered that a fake mockup has been created to divert the Germans. As he is about to be caught he escapes to a remote island and now must wait to be picked up by a U-boat.The spy is Heinrich Faber (Donald Sutherland), known as "The Needle" because of his weapon of choice for assassination is a stiletto. When he arrives at the island he meets its only inhabitants, the disabled man of the house David (Christopher Cazenove), his wife Lucy (Kate Nelligan) and their young son Joe. Counting on their hospitality he stays with them a few days. In that short amount of time a romance between Faber and Lucy unfolds, two lonely people for different reasons brought together.For Faber his life is one of solitude and the opportunity for a connection to another human being is rare at best. For Lucy we have a woman whose husband has withdrawn from the world due to the injury that left him disabled. We are presented with two people who should not have the affair that they do but because of the situations life has left them in they find one another.David becomes suspicious of Faber and looks into just who he is and what he has with him. The result of his investigation is murder at the hands of Faber. When Lucy realizes what is going on it is left to her to stop this spy from contacted his U-boat and taking information with him that will cause England to lose the war. With her life and that of her young son in the way will she be up to the task at hand? And will the romance that came between the two prevent either from doing what they must? The movie is a slow burn, a thriller that unspools the story at a pace that offers more story than action. It takes its time to place the characters in the right place, to maneuver them into emotional moments and to allow the viewer to get to know each of them before events occur. We understand why David is bitter, why Lucy is lonely and why Faber is determined to complete his mission. Life is messy and the intersecting of these three people shows how unpredictable it can be.Director Richard Marquand has done a fantastic job of creating both the remote location of the small island with the remote feelings on hand in the characters. It is this combination that pulls us in to wonder what will happen, to hope for the best and to fear the worst. The fact that Faber at any moment could just kill all three people, including a young child, makes him one of the more dangerous characters seen on film. And yet we understand why Lucy is drawn to him due to her circumstances.All of the actors involved give it their best. It isn't a splashy movie but a subtle one and their performances match that subtlety. For me this was the second film I'd seen Nelligan in, the first being Dracula. She does a great job here but for some reason never made it to mega-star status. She should have. Sutherland shows that his acting chops were not a fluke in and that he is incredibly talented.As I said the movie did respectable business but was not a smash hit. Fortunately we have the chance to see it in pristine condition with this release from Twilight Time. The odds of finding a better looking edition of this movie are unlikely. Extras include an isolated score track, audio commentary with music historian Jon Burlingame and film historians Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman and the original theatrical trailer. As with all Twilight Time editions this one is limited to just 3,000 copies so fans will want to make sure they pick one up before they are gone.

rcwcs83 I can't help drawing parallels between Eye of the Needle and the Da Vinci Code, though the stories are as different as possible. In both cases I made the mistake of reading the book before watching the movie.In Eye of the Needle the different storyline parts are way wrong. The ending of the book – from when "Faber" arrives at the island, takes up about half of the movie. As a result of this, all the good stuff from the book is pretty much cut away or have been reduced to short scenes, where some elements have been altered, and not for the good.As for Donald Sutherland in this movie, well he comes of as just as wrong for the part as Tom Hanks was as Robert Langdon in the Da Vinci Code. Because of this the movie loses a lot of the good elements from Ken Follett's book. Have you seen this movie ones, it is pretty unlikely that you will ever see it again or remember it the day after, as there is more or less nothing in it that stays in your mind. So my advice for people who have read the book, don't watch the movie. For those who haven't, well you can still find something better to watch.

vvjti Another role for donald sutherland playing a German following on from 'the eagle has landed' but in this film donald sutherland plays central character and is main star. An intriguing film and a great story again about a German spy in the uk. It makes for tension, drama and suspense because he's placed with an unsuspecting family and part of tension is that he has romance with his hosts wife as well being undercover spy making contact with Germany. the rugged scenery of Scottish isles where spy donald sutherland is stranded adds to film. good scenes include where spy sutherland reveals ruthless side and when spies identity discovered. a film more subdued than faster moving 'eagle has landed' but good film to watch

gcd70 Richard Marquand's 1981 WW2 thriller makes for intriguing conjecture as it considers the possibility that a lethal and cunning Nazi spy may have known of the Allies' intention to invade Normandy. Screenwriter Stanley Mann weaves a good old fashioned espionage yarn from the original novel by Ken Follett (a 1978 best seller), and an impressive cast and crew help bring it all to life.Our director (Marquand) knows how to tell a story, and though he's working with a more simple plot than he did in 1985's "Jagged Edge", still manages to involve the audience and create real tension. Donald Sutherland certainly helps in this regard too, as the German spy "Faber", who has successfully infiltrated English society in the guise of a war veteran, and who'll stop at nothing to achieve his objective. As the reluctant heroine, Kate Nelligan successfully portrays vulnerability, frustration, desperation and terror as we share in her plight. Worthy support also comes from Christopher Cazenove, Ian Bannen and Philip Martin Brown.Also a major factor in "The Eye of the Needle's" effectiveness is the artful cinematography (Alan Hume) that captures "Storm Island" so exquisitely, the efficient editing from Sean Barton and the authentic Set design and costumes that recreate the 40's most convincingly. Music is from Miklos Rozsa.Strongest attributes are always the impressive, dramatic performances from leads Sutherland and Nelligan.Sunday, January 8, 1995 - Video