A British agent's son is kidnapped and held for a ransom of diamonds. The agent finds out that he can't even count on the people he thought were on his side to help him, so he decides to track down the kidnappers himself.
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At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.
The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
"The Black Windmill" had the potential to be an entertaining Spy thriller like "The Ipcress File."Alas, this wasn't the case in my opinion. The plot is very boring,there isn't much excitement or incident,Michael Caine sleeps his way through his performance (doesn't he always?), Don Siegel's direction is lacking in inspiration and the talented supporting cast are going to waste. The film finally warms up a bit for the last 20 minutes but it's too little too late.
Yet another Bond/Harry Palmer homage' or pastiche in parts. The Black Windmill has now become a Don Siegel timeless classic. Overshadowed by miles by Dirty Harry in its day, TBW was a rough diamond twinkling in its wake. Fabulous casting unparallelled and the acting was timed and placed to the second. This movie based on the Egleton novel was true to form in all areas. The story of the Whitehall spook having his son kidnapped while bosses had their own mits in the pot, is compelling and addictive. The film theme score in fairness appears to be a transposed rehash of Fear Is The key (Alastair Mclean) However the genius of Roy Budd is allowed these minor trivialities in such circumstances. Caine is sheer brilliant in his usual manner in these roles, along with Suzmann/Vernon and a whole host of luvvies that went on to stellar TV careers this really is a great "Cribs" movie.
For this work, scenes of "action", a Don Siegel specialty, are less significant than those that generate characterization and plot, functioning to release tension rather than keep it at bay, although the director's customary taut pacing and stoniness are here, within a twisty story largely faithful to its source, a Clive Egleton novel: "Seven Days to a Killing", strongly scripted by Leigh Vance to further define the character-focused film. A cleverly fresh storyline involves a kidnapping, the victim being son of MI-5 operative John Tarrant (Michael Caine), with a ransom demand for greater than one half million pounds worth of uncut diamonds that are resting within a Defence Ministry safe, as an unknown traitorous official has informed the abductors, with subsequent dual scenario devices of Tarrant's struggle to retrieve his son held by illicit arms syndicate villains, along with Ministry efforts to culpably link Tarrant with the conspiracy. The film benefits from attention to continuity, no loose ends rupturing one's concentration, with heed to detail perhaps its primary strength, yet telling contributions come from many, including players Caine, who adds a needed element of engagement to his Harry Palmer persona, Delphine Seyrig giving a splendidly nuanced performance as companion of the principal evildoer (played with effectual guile by John Vernon), and Donald Pleasence earning the acting laurels here as a dispassionate MI-5 security chief, along with Clive Revill, Joss Ackland, and ever intense Janet Suzman.Siegel's hand is apparent in the spare deployment of music, with scoring and silence each appropriately employed; palette and filter for well-composed cinematography and montage (shooting is in London, Paris and the Sussex countryside); a symbolic use of clothing colours; and accomplished post-production efforts, all increasing the worth of a piece undervalued by some reviewers, indeed by Caine himself, unfortunate in the event as the film is one of Siegel's finest, his skill with improvisation mating well with capable workmanship.
A poor plot with several holes in it and pretty feeble acting and those 1970's haircuts! The police in this film were pretty dumb but they didn't need to be clever as the crooks were not much smarter and no one was nasty. Oh happy days!