A tense, tight, little thriller which is more of a duel of wits between a psychopath and a police inspector. In the plot there is no mystery whatsoever about who did what to whom. Above all, it is about demonstrating the ability to kill, take revenge and do justice: while the psychopath plans every detail to get his way, the inspector is simply looking for small flaws in the execution.
Excellent performances by Max von Sydow and Trevor Howard as the killer and the inspector. It is a pity that an actor as good as Per Oscarsson (unforgettable in Arne Mattson's "Vaxdockan" (The Doll), Vilgot Sjöman's "Syskonbädd 1782" (My Sister, My Love) and Henning Carlsen's "Sult" (Hunger), for which he won the Best Actor award in Cannes), with a equally key role, was dubbed with an American accent, far from his excellence in acting. Liv Ullmann is effective, but wasted.
Produced by Mel Ferrer, with effective music by Henry Mancini, it was also known as Salem, Come to Supper. Among the actors who were thought for the role of the psychopath, there was talk of Steve McQueen and Christopher Lee; but I can't imagine anyone other than Sydow in the part. With McQueen it would have been an action film; with Lee, a terror movie. Some sources credited Panama as a co-producing country... it must have been one of those 'Panama Papers' enterprises, created to avoid paying taxes...
Definitely worth a look.
Excellent performances by Max von Sydow and Trevor Howard as the killer and the inspector. It is a pity that an actor as good as Per Oscarsson (unforgettable in Arne Mattson's "Vaxdockan" (The Doll), Vilgot Sjöman's "Syskonbädd 1782" (My Sister, My Love) and Henning Carlsen's "Sult" (Hunger), for which he won the Best Actor award in Cannes), with a equally key role, was dubbed with an American accent, far from his excellence in acting. Liv Ullmann is effective, but wasted.
Produced by Mel Ferrer, with effective music by Henry Mancini, it was also known as Salem, Come to Supper. Among the actors who were thought for the role of the psychopath, there was talk of Steve McQueen and Christopher Lee; but I can't imagine anyone other than Sydow in the part. With McQueen it would have been an action film; with Lee, a terror movie. Some sources credited Panama as a co-producing country... it must have been one of those 'Panama Papers' enterprises, created to avoid paying taxes...
Definitely worth a look.