DVD Juggernaut
One of director Richard Lester's least-known films, Juggernaut was part of the wave of disaster movies of the early 1970s--and one of the only ones with a sense of intelligence. Richard Harris, in one of his most controlled performances, plays a bomb expert called aboard a luxury liner in midocean; the ship has been commandeered by an anonymous terrorist, demanding money before he starts setting off bombs he has planted around the vessel. The cast, which includes David Hemmings, Anthony Hopkins, and Omar Sharif, is a solid one, and the suspense is thick enough to cut through, with Lester's nasty sense of humor working at full throttle as the countdown gets into the single digits. --Marshall Fine |
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Review(s): DVD Juggernaut | |
Like many of the other reviewers, this was a film that I recalled with great fondness.
I had seen it when I was younger...not even a teenager...but I remember loving it.
I had been looking for it forEVER when I read that it was being released on DVD.
I happily popped it in my DVD player and put my feet up.You know how some movies are not NEARLY as good as you once thought? They're not as funny, not as scary, often plain stupid. Well I'm happy to report that this film is terrific. It STILL raises the blood pressure, and will still having you guessing by the end. Richard Harris plays the quasi-heroic bomb defuser, Omar Sharif the beleaguered captain and a young Anthony Hopkins has a one-note performance as a stressed out Scotland Yarder.
Roy Kinnear is a painful hoot as the Ship's Steward (think Julie on the Love Boat) who tries to raise everyone's spirits EVEN THOUGH THEY KNOW THERE'S BOMBS ON THE SHIP.
Trying to get everyone to sing along to "Roll Out The Barrel"? Priceless. The script is spare but witty. I loved the comment about "A Night To Remember". This is among the best "disaster" movies ever made, and a terrific thriller.
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| Overlooked Disaster Film of 1974 showcases British Actors |
A taught tense adventure of a mad bomber who holds an oceanliner for ransom after he plants a series of bombs aboard. The villian is known, as each bomb has a signiture style. Richard Harris leads the team who attempt to defuse the bombs, only somewhat successful. As the countdown continues, the tension mounts, and it becomes more a cat and mouse game between the bomber and the police expert as they debate whether to cut the red or the blue wire. The final minutes are excrusiating.I saw this on the big screen in 1974 and could convince no one to go to a free showing in Lansing, Michigan with me on a Sunday afternoon. An overlooked gem, I recall this film fondly. The plot is somewhat predictable, but Richard Harris is surrounded with major British actors who give good support to this tension filled adventure. Try it. It has to be better than any of the US dissaster picts of the period.
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| Great DVD Of A Little Known Gem |
Those of you wanting to upgrade your old VHS copies of Richard Lester's taut little thriller should now do so: MGM has given Juggernaut a sterling DVD transfer, in 1.66:1 widescreen, with good color balance and nary a blemish in sight (ah, the wonders of digital restoration). Hardly any edge enhancement either, as far as I can see. Way to go MGM!David Hemmings (1941-2003) R.I.P.
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