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Community comment are the opinions of contributing users. These comment do not represent the opinions of Port Moody Public Library.
Oct 22, 2015pl8 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
One of the great films of the 1970s. Unfortunately its now mostly remembered only for its most famous scene, but there are actually several great scenes (personally I think the "jewel district" scene is the best and far more terrifying). Admittedly the second half isn't quite as good as the first, buts its a great thriller in the tradition of Hitchcock. In the first half we see the three main characters separately before they all collide. The tension that builds and subtle feeling of doom is incredible; little things like the dialogue being a little too low while simple sound effects like floorboards creaking and glasses tinking is just a little bit too high. Olivier is, somehow, immediately recognizable as an agent of death. And the underrated Scheider is great as the worldly-wise cynic keeping things from his younger brother. As far as I know, there were only three films in this sub-genre: this, Boys from Brazil and ODESSA File, which is a shame. Of the three I'd only call this one a great film. Unfortunately, the popularity of these three films may have resulted in Dr. Mengele going even deeper into hiding (according to Wiesenthal's biographer).