Nonureva Really Surprised!

Marketic It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Janis One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

LeonLouisRicci Another uneven Hollywood attempt to capture the devastation and destructive consequences of the McCarthy Era. It was a confusing time for Everyone, not the least of which was our Government. After the Atom was cracked it seems so did We, unable to understand Who was Who, What was real and not Paranoia, How to handle the exponential accelerating Pace of World Events, and just When, Where, and How it would all End. The Why was left for the Philosophers and Historians.In an attempt to stop Communism as well as Free Speech our Leaders went to Unconstitutional means to uncover and eradicate its "infiltration" in our Society and they were looking everywhere, even under the bed. Is anyone Youngish aware of the slogan "Better Dead than Red"?This homage to Hitchcock is a rather flat and uninteresting take on some of that with a bit more of bring the Nazis over here before the Soviets get them. There are moments that are Suspenseful but not enough to maintain any sense of urgency. The Film is Shallow and flirts around with a Romantic Subplot that fizzles and a defusing Bomb Scene that plays, unintentionally like a Comedy.Recommended for the better parts, but be advised that some of it just doesn't work and is really a let down considering the Weight of the Subject Matter.

Steve Skafte Much has been made of films which use past decades to set their stories in, but much less praise has been directed at those which emulate the style originally employed in that period. There has, of course, been many failures to replicate the successful Alfred Hitchcock formula. "The House on Carroll Street" is not one of those. It falls into neither common failing of such films - there is no attempt to graft an anachronistic approach to an older style, nor to bring that older style into a modern decade. This film understands that such a style cannot be separated from the emotions and perceptions of the time.Peter Yates, a director who generally creates for the present time, does an unexpectedly excellent job at recreating this lost world. He uses cinematographer Michael Ballhaus (who went on to photograph "Quiz Show", another 1950s recreation) to wonderful effect, letting him capture his scenes in a manner that never once strays from the older approach. Yates shows us how thrilling the suspense and big set-pieces can be when not buried in special effects and quick cuts. Yates proves why he's one of the great overlooked talents.Jeff Daniels and Kelly McGillis have very much that 'star chemistry' valued for this sort of picture. McGillis, especially, brings a lightness and intensity most modern actresses could only pretend at. Patinkin is appropriately menacing. Jessica Tandy was my favorite performance, a tiny role nonetheless brightened by the nuances she brings to it. Christopher Buchholz provides an engaging, fearful, yet somehow innocent performance to the character of Stefan.Imagining that "The House on Carroll Street" were somehow released during the era in which it is set, I have little doubt it would be considered one of the great classics. Films such as "North By Northwest" have all the same limitations and plot implausibilities, yet are no more or less thrilling than this one. I see nothing of lower quality to be found here, only a picture made in a period where it couldn't be recognized. If you love the classic thrillers, you should certainly love this one as well.

med_1978 I watched this on video, I had seen it a while ago but did not recall most of the film (this should have given me an idea of its routine nature).Having viewed the film again I found it to be a strictly routine effort all round. The direction, the acting are very average and the plot predictable throughout.Kelly McGillis is possibly at her most attractive here and the film is worth catching if you are a fan of hers. Jeff Daniels is okay but there is no chemistry between the leads and the romantic subplot detracts from the film. Mandy Patinkin is the chief villain of the piece and the scene with him in the restaurant tipping ketchup on the table in an attempt to show his maniacal nature is truly ridiculous. The scene where Jeff Daniels is defusing the bomb and cannot decide which wire to cut was reminiscent of a similar scene from Lethal Weapon. The storyline seemed watered down, so as to dispense of matters such as a decent plot. Instead the film opts for a more lightweight approach giving us an Agatha Christie type lead character that is caught snooping into top secret government business, the pace picks up but the film fails to grip the viewer in a way that creates tension or excitement. The ending was not bad but it all seemed like a straight to video movie that probably got released due to its star being in the box office hits Top Gun & Witness. This did not however prevent the movie from being a box office failure.

George Parker Not unlike a simple-minded Nancy Drew, McGillis plays a nosey but reluctant witness to Nazi war criminal underground railroad skullduggery who foils countless bad guys while falling in like with an FBI agent (Daniels) who doesn't carry a gun because they're too heavy. Yeah, right. Good old fashioned melodrama, "The House on Carroll Street" is a stagey, obvious, scripted, stiff, and sanitized for your protection. Recommended for viewers who prefer melodrama over reality.