"Eyewitness", a.k.a. "Sudden Terror", is an engrossing adaptation (by Ronald Harwood and an unbilled Bryan Forbes) of a novel by John Harris. While it holds no major surprises, it does deliver at least one twist that the viewer *might* not see coming. It also delivers some fine suspense and action scenes, and benefits a lot from its exotic locale.
It's set on the island of Malta, where an imaginative boy, Ziggy (Mark Lester of "Oliver!" fame) lives with his sexy older sister Pippa (Susan George, "Die Screaming Marianne") and his grandfather (Lionel Jeffries, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang") in a lighthouse. Ziggy is prone to a rich fantasy life, so naturally his family is inclined *not* to believe him when he tells them the truth: he witnessed a policeman committing the murder of a visiting dignitary. Thus, the perpetrator (top British character actor Peter Vaughan, 'Game of Thrones') and his accomplice (Peter Bowles, "Blowup") spend the remainder of the running time hunting down the unfortunate Ziggy.
"Eyewitness" is quite fun, as it spins a fairly familiar "Boy Who Cried Wolf" type of yarn. It makes time for a little romance, between Pippa and a vacationing nice-guy stranger named "Tom Jones" (Aussie actor Tony Bonner, "The Man from Snowy River"), as well as some entertaining character details & humour. (Tom dislikes brandy, yet it seems to be the only drink that Grandpa will offer him.) It's willing to go to some dark places along the way, and there is also some fairly graphic violence when characters get shot. It all culminates in a well-executed vehicle chase.
The excellent cast features Betty Marsden ("Carry On Camping"), Joseph Furst ("Diamonds Are Forever"), and David Lodge ("The Return of the Pink Panther") as well, although it is Jeffries, as the crusty, witty "old" man (he was in his mid-forties at the time), that tends to steal the show. Knowing the difference between fantasies and outright lies, it is Grandpa that is first to start lending some credence to Ziggy's story.
All in all, a good film that kick-started the filmmaking career of John Hough, whose 70s classics include "Twins of Evil", "Dirty Mary Crazy Larry" (working with George again), "The Legend of Hell House", and the two Disney "Witch Mountain" features. Actor-turned-filmmaker Forbes was also the unbilled executive producer; Jonathan Demme was the music coordinator, and Gary Sherman (director of "Death Line", "Dead & Buried", "Vice Squad", and "Poltergeist III") designed the opening titles.
Seven out of 10.
It's set on the island of Malta, where an imaginative boy, Ziggy (Mark Lester of "Oliver!" fame) lives with his sexy older sister Pippa (Susan George, "Die Screaming Marianne") and his grandfather (Lionel Jeffries, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang") in a lighthouse. Ziggy is prone to a rich fantasy life, so naturally his family is inclined *not* to believe him when he tells them the truth: he witnessed a policeman committing the murder of a visiting dignitary. Thus, the perpetrator (top British character actor Peter Vaughan, 'Game of Thrones') and his accomplice (Peter Bowles, "Blowup") spend the remainder of the running time hunting down the unfortunate Ziggy.
"Eyewitness" is quite fun, as it spins a fairly familiar "Boy Who Cried Wolf" type of yarn. It makes time for a little romance, between Pippa and a vacationing nice-guy stranger named "Tom Jones" (Aussie actor Tony Bonner, "The Man from Snowy River"), as well as some entertaining character details & humour. (Tom dislikes brandy, yet it seems to be the only drink that Grandpa will offer him.) It's willing to go to some dark places along the way, and there is also some fairly graphic violence when characters get shot. It all culminates in a well-executed vehicle chase.
The excellent cast features Betty Marsden ("Carry On Camping"), Joseph Furst ("Diamonds Are Forever"), and David Lodge ("The Return of the Pink Panther") as well, although it is Jeffries, as the crusty, witty "old" man (he was in his mid-forties at the time), that tends to steal the show. Knowing the difference between fantasies and outright lies, it is Grandpa that is first to start lending some credence to Ziggy's story.
All in all, a good film that kick-started the filmmaking career of John Hough, whose 70s classics include "Twins of Evil", "Dirty Mary Crazy Larry" (working with George again), "The Legend of Hell House", and the two Disney "Witch Mountain" features. Actor-turned-filmmaker Forbes was also the unbilled executive producer; Jonathan Demme was the music coordinator, and Gary Sherman (director of "Death Line", "Dead & Buried", "Vice Squad", and "Poltergeist III") designed the opening titles.
Seven out of 10.