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Highly Overrated But Still Good

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

The movie's a one-note plot— Poitier trying to keep Bancroft on the telephone so the authorities can find her before her suicide pills take full effect. Clearly, the filmmakers have their work cut out for them. They've got 100-minutes to fill with a basically stationary plot-line. By and large, they do a decent job of interspersing the phone talk with action scenes of people trying to trace down the call; plus, flashbacks showing how the lonely, guilt-ridden Bancroft got that way. Poitier, in particular, gets to run through a gamut of emotions as his frustration builds over Bancroft's teasing determination to die. The suspense is on particular high near the end, as could be expected. But frankly, the single note plot-- pregnant though it is-- becomes a little tiresome when stretched out over the lengthy run-time. Thus, I began to feel frustrated along with Poitier, but then maybe that was the filmmakers' intent. All in all, it's a decent nail-biter whose most notable point may be the absence of any racial angle at a time when race was prominent in the headlines. Otherwise, the movie remains something of a curiosity.

I came in late on this movie this morning on TCM, and then suspected it was a Sydney Pollack film when I heard the line, "Do you think not getting caught in a lie is the same thing as telling the truth?" spoken by Steven Hill to Anne Bancroft. This line is, remarkably, in two other Sydney Pollack films that I know of -- Three Days of the Condor, and most recently in The Interpreter. While it is a great line and distills an idea very well, the self-referential aspect of it is a little odd. However, it is a well-shot film and reminded me of the work of John Frankenheimer. There are some fantastic shots in Seattle locations, and Anne Bancroft looks so beautiful and sad.

I saw this title coming up on TCM, read the synopsis, and KNEW instantly that this one I had to see. And like I said, I should have known. Poitier is probably one of the top ten dramatic actors of ALL TIME! I'm not sure I've ever seen a bad film that he was in. This little gem, was tremendous. I don't comment on many film's but when I see one I haven't seen before, and it's as good as this one, I can't restrain myself. Watch it when/if you can, and you won't be disappointed! There are many subplots and twists to this film, and it has many fine performances, including Telly Savalas, and Ann Bancroft. There are small parts, for a young Dabney Coleman, and one of Ed Asner's early ones as well. I am a classic movie buff, with over 800 titles in my library, and I simply love it when I come across a new one that I hadn't seen/heard of before. Like I said, Watch this one when/if you can.

This film has stuck in my mind since seeing in the early 70s, when I was a child. This is only my second viewing, and while I still find the movie quite effective, the overacting of Poitier makes it a little less enjoyable. Bancroft is wonderful, and quite sympathetic, in the lead. As stated in a previous post, this is Pollack's first feature - what an excellent start. The Seattle location filming is beautiful, and it's nice to see the 64 World's Fair site on celluloid. (Of course, for more detailed coverage, there's Elvis's "It Happened at the World's Fair" from 1964.)Just for the sake of curiosity, I wonder if the hotel where she is found, is still standing today. It was a Hyatt at that time.