Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

The Terrorists Blu-ray Movie Review

Few thrills and a terribly mediocre Blu-ray add up to a poor release.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 20, 2012

A very grave situation.

It might surprise some of the younger movie fans who have come of age in these post-9/11 first years of the 21st century that the current "buzz word" -- "terrorism" -- has been around and been a major thorn in the world's side since long before hijacked aircraft crashed into the twin towers, the Pentagon, and that Western Pennsylvania field more than ten years ago. Terrorism isn't limited to a single group of people, either. Folks of all persuasions, colors, religions, and agendas have used terror to further a cause, bring attention to a grievance, or radically speak out against a government, to name a few of the more common motives. It's only since "the big one" hit that the term has come to mean -- and radically reshape life around the world -- much more than a blurb on the news. 1974's The Terrorists, or Ransom as it is also known, presents audiences with a glimpse back at the "tamer" days of terrorism, "tamer" at least insofar as how it was depicted in film, when holding a snub-nosed revolver on someone was pretty much the extent of the danger. Sean Connery stars as a tough-as-nails Scandinavian security expert who battles the title terrorists both in the mind and on the field of action. Unfortunately, the movie leaves audiences wanting more. It's bland and poorly paced, not very exciting and certainly not very well developed. A typical Connery performance is probably the only reason to watch.

Tahlvik. Nils Tahlvik.

One group of terrorists, led by the notorious Martin Shepherd (John Quentin), has kidnapped the British ambassador to Scandinavia. Their demands are simple: the ambassador will be freed upon the release of several of the terrorists' comrades. Failure to comply won't be pretty. They have their escape planned out, and it includes the takeover of a commercial jet liner carrying dozens of innocent flyers. Both operations are a success. The plane is overtaken in a raid led by Ray Petrie (Ian McShane), but the pilot's quick thinking leaves it disabled on the runway, slowing down, but not destroying, the terrorists' plan. The British government has chosen to give in and and meet every last demand the terrorists have placed on the negotiating table. The terrorists' comrades will be freed, and all they need to facilitate their escape will be provided. However, Scandinavian security expert Colonel Nils Tahlvik (Connery) is granted permission to attempt an overpower of the terrorists and foil their plot before the British government officially lets them off the hook.

Think of any attribute necessary to a film and it likely ranks as "average" through the course of The Terrorists. This isn't a poor film by any stretch of the imagination, but it's quite unimaginative, very bland, and incredibly slow. It's a typical "go nowhere" sort of movie that relies on predetermined motions to carry the day, not original thought or even genre-typical action. The movie floats on past and quickly melts into oblivion once one is finished with a watch. Plot, direction, and acting all fall rather flat. This is a Thriller with no thrills, and the picture lacks robust action, chills, tension, and good pacing. It's not much of a Political Thriller, it lacks severely as a Character Drama, and it's certainly no Die Hard or Munich or even Executive Decision. The movie plays with little sense of flair or importance. At best, it plays like a mediocre "event" two-part episode of some halfway decent television show, particularly considering that character development is minimal, a characteristic with which a double-length TV episode could employ given previous weeks or seasons worth of separate, more focused development. Even then, the movie plays slowly and meanders towards its conclusion, content to simply string together a series of events rather than paint a more immediate, entertaining, gripping, terrifying tone.

In general, positives are few and difficult to find. Connery's performance is fine. It's one that will go overshadowed by everything from Dr. No to The Rock in his career, but then again this is that classic case of a good actor given not necessarily poor, but poorly thought out and largely inconsequential material from a thematic perspective. That's another issue. The film never really grabs the reigns and digs deeply into the minds of the terrorists, the hostages, Connery's character, none of them. It's the ultimate "motions" sort of movie as they maneuver only enough to reach the next plot point. Back to the plus side, the photography is fine, limited in scope as the picture may be. There are some good scenes as characters argue back-and-forth about the plusses and minuses of the extremes of terrorist negotiation tactics, the pros of giving in and saving lives and the cons of dead hostages and the potential for an open season against a weak country willing to give in to any and every demand. The movie doesn't even play well in a world where terror is a much more immediate and an everyday part of life. The picture is best watched as a time capsule back to "those days" of terrorism, a reminder that it can happen anytime, anywhere, to anyone, and that it need not be a devastatingly spectacular made-for-television and the history books sort of event to throw a pretty wicked wrench into life.

The Terrorists Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Terrorists lands on Blu-ray with a highly mediocre 1080p transfer. "Spotty" and "rough" define the look of the opening title sequence. The image calms down considerably once the action gets going, but white speckles and random black pops and splotches and hairs and lines are frequent visitors to the screen. Detailing is neither poor nor spectacular. The image finds a suitable middle ground where faces and clothes reveal decent textures. Grain covers the image and grants a fair quality film-like texturing. Colors are somewhat drab but even in context. Bright reds as seen on seats and stewardess uniforms onboard the plane represent the only color with any real life or pop to it. Banding and blocking are minimal. Blacks are a hair heavy here, a touch washed out there, and often noisy, but flesh tones remain largely even. This transfer doesn't exactly impress, but it's not particularly awful, either. It's definitely a few steps ahead of the dreadful The Truth About Cats and Dogs, a newer 20th Century Fox movie also recently released on Blu-ray through Anchor Bay.

The Terrorists Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Terrorists features a somewhat lackluster Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. This audio presentation lacks clarity and realism at every turn. It sounds rough, rattly, and undefined, playing with only basic audible definition. Explosions yield decent bass and a strong presence, but sound crunchy rather than tight and exacting. Music plays sharply and with little sense of natural space. Most of the audio remains focused up the middle front portion of the soundstage. Screaming sirens that should maneuver from side to side instead just linger about one spot. Add that the screeching sirens pierce the ears rather than play with a more authentic feel and the track sets up listeners for a rather rough ride. Dialogue is adequate, playing firmly and with focus up the middle. Even when spoken over an intercom on board the plane, it spreads out with a nice little natural sense of spacing, representing probably the single finest effect in the film. This is non-event, somewhat old picture; it's not a surprise the soundtrack comes up lacking, and expectations need be set accordingly.

The Terrorists Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Terrorists contains no extras. No main or pop-up menus are included, either; users must access the included English SDH subtitles via remote control only.

The Terrorists Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Terrorists is a lackluster Thriller/Drama/Action flick that never gets off the ground. The plot is sketchy, the pacing is slow, the characters shallow, the action drab, the rhythm nonexistent, the drama stale, and the chills absent. Sean Connery completists will want to give it a go, but otherwise the movie is probably best enjoyed as sick day/rainy day filler. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of this 20th Century Fox catalogue title features problematic but watchable video, acceptable lossless audio, and no supplements -- not even a menu. This might be worth a buy for less than $5, but otherwise, this one is best left on the shelf.