For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

If you have read the basic premise for "The Visitors", you probably think you have a good idea as to how the movie will play out if you have seen your share of hostage dramas and revenge thrillers. Well, you are only partially right. The expected things DO happen, but what will probably surprise you is how long it takes for these things to happen. To be exact, more than eighty percent of the movie goes by before things start turning violent. And that eighty percent goes by extremely slowly, it doesn't seem to have a point - unless it's to show how slow and stupid innocent people can be towards something that's an obvious danger to anyone in the audience. I guess the acting is okay, and despite the low budget (less that 200,000 dollars from what I read), there is some genuine atmosphere. But in the end, there doesn't seem to be much of a point, whether it is to entertain the audience or say something about Vietnam.

Obscure films are often obscure for a good reason, even if they're part of the repertoire of highly acclaimed and Award-winning directors, or in case it meant the debut of famous and respected actors. "The Visitors" is such an example of a peculiarly obscure film in spite of the great names involved. It was directed by Elia Kazan, who won 2 Oscars and even an Honorary Award, and it was the first major film role for both James Woods and Steve Railsbeck. These names alone should have provided the film with a tremendous classic status and cult reputation, but instead it's a totally unknown effort that never ever gets mentioned when people are discussing the highlights of either Kazan or Woods. Is it because it's such a bitter and emotionless drama that deals with the darker side of war veteran heroes? Perhaps… Is it because it's such a slow, dull and eventually unrewarding movie experience? More likely… "The Visitors" probably ranks in the top 5 slowest-paced films I've ever seen and the story keeps building up towards a devastating climax that actually never comes. There's nothing more frustrating than watching a movie in which absolutely nothing happens while, at the same time, it offers so much potential for exciting and suspenseful things to happen! If it weren't the names that convinced me to watch "The Visitors" already, then the brief plot description certainly would have: Vietnam veteran Bill Schmidt lives a quite life in the countryside, along with his wife and their baby. One morning, two of Bill's army buddies show up at their doorstep and invite themselves in. This isn't friendly visit, however, as Tony and Mike were just recently released from prison where they served a sentence for raping and murdering an innocent girl during their Tour of Duty. Bill testified against them in court, but now in his own house, he will have to protect his family and himself. How brilliant does that description sound? The film could have been a forerunner of the popular trend of home-invasion movies (like "Last House on the Left" or "House at the Edge of the Park") or it could have been a raw and powerful post-Vietnam revenge thriller (like "The Exterminator", "The Farmer" or "Rolling Thunder"). Especially the latter examples successfully managed to combine dazzling character studies and genuine human drama with harsh and relentless action footage but, sadly enough, Elia Kazan and his scriptwriter son Chris solely opted for character study. And then it still isn't very successful, I must add. The only sequence in the entire movie that more or less qualifies as eventful is a downright disgusting one and depicts – in detail – the massacre of a dog. That whole sequence looked disturbingly realistic, if you ask me. The rest of the story is simply people sitting at tables and staring at each other without saying much. The scenario also takes a few bizarre and illogical twists, like Bill's father-in-law socializing with two suspicious figures he never met and that obviously for a menace to his daughter and grandson. The filming locations and snowy landscapes are astounding and the soundtrack features a couple of nice classical music moments, but that's hardly worth a recommendation.

Watched it last night. Started well and I admit had suspense, but didn't follow through. It was one of those movies which just dragged on and on. When something does happen your like that is it. Had an awful ending which left the audience with questions. Seemed to be made by a disturbed director. I still don't see the point in the movie. Wanna waste an hour and a half watch The Visitors. Pros: Good actors and setting. Cons: No real story or reasoning.Sorry if I don't agree with other users. For me there is nothing worse than a great beginning with a poor ending. There is no excuse and seemed kind of lazy. FYI I signed up just to let people know how bad this movie is.

Untypical material for Kazan: this curiously amateurish amalgam of ACT OF VIOLENCE (1948) and THE DESPERATE HOURS (1955), updated for the Vietnam era, is unworthy of the director's unquestionable talent (despite being written by his own son!) and emerges as a pointless talking marathon - in which the dialogue is muffled most of the time anyway, because of poor sound recording! Patricia Joyce comes off best from the hand-picked cast, which includes James Woods' debut role as the wimpish hero(!) and Steve Railsback as one of his two revenge-seeking war buddies; these actors must have thought that they had it made when they were chosen by Award-winning director Kazan (who had, after all, virtually discovered Marlon Brando, James Dean and Warren Beatty) to feature in his next movie but, unfortunately for them, THE VISITORS sank without trace despite being an official entry in that year's Cannes Film Festival! While the film could easily have turned into a nasty shocker in the vein of THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972) - which might even have been preferable in the long run - the story just meanders on towards a lame and inconclusive ending. At least, the film's snowy setting provides a nice pictorial backdrop...