Black Sunday

Jeez, 1977 was a bad year to be a blimp pilot.

Interestingly enough, this was written by Thomas"Silence of the Lambs" Harris and therefore probably would've benefitted from a serial killer or two. And if there's anything to be learned from "A View To A KIll" it's that blimps don't make very menacing getaway vehicles for the bad guys.

The first hour and a half of this is okay--a bit disjointed and drawn out maybe, but fine. The last 45 minutes is, for my money, one of the best extended action/thriller sections I've seen in a while. A bit goofy, but great. Great combination of technique, stunts, effects, and music, and more than worth sitting through the rest to get to. There is a lot of footage from the real life Super Bowl that year. It's unthinkable that today's NFL would be willing to cooperate with this kind of film.

Bruce Dern masterfully embodies complex and unhinged characters, and his performance in "Black Sunday" is no exception. The film's pacing is deliberate, making it feel slow, but it adds to the tension and finishes with an exhilarating climax.

It's a good thriller, but not of the top rank of the genre from the 70s. Robert Shaw is still great even with a bit of a wibbly accent. There's a very different film in here centering on Bruce Dern's character.

This movie veers from being a respectable thriller to almost parody, usually in the same scene. I liked it but it doesn't really work consistently enough.

The last hour is awesome the rest is fine but it’s just too long for this kind of thriller. Not Frankenheimer’s best politically

Watched to prep for the The Super Bowl today

Wow! I really liked this one. I only had one minor criticism in that Bruce Dern's acting wasn't perfect, but Robert Shaw's was. Quite intense thriller. Frankenheimer was a great director for building tension and suspense.

MVPs: John Williams, Tom Rolf.

You can never say bruce dern plays unhinged poorly. He even outshines one of my very favorite actors shaw who unfortunately gets very little to chew on here. The intrigue is hurt by extreme predictability. The hunt for the terrorists was not thrilling or elaborate or anything that makes gripping viewing. The finale was exciting though, given a great lift by the score from john williams.

The last 40 minutes or so, set at the Super Bowl, are pretty fantastic, and Bruce Dern is on fire throughout, giving what is easily one of his best performances. Outside of the Super Bowl stuff, it gets pretty boring at times, especially because Shaw is a non-presence in the lead.

Frankenheimer's attempt at a blockbuster, and I liked it. Terrorist group, Black September, teams with an unhinged and disgruntled Vietnam vet to plan a terrorist attack on the US. Robert Shaw plays a Mossad agent working with the FBI to stop them. I thought this was decently thrilling. Frankenheimer did all he could to pull this off.

Not a terrible thriller, and Shaw is always fun to watch.

Passes the time.

Saw this on TV. yawn.....