Ransom [The Terrorists] ** (1975, Sean Connery, Ian McShane, James Maxwell, Isabel Dean, William Fox, Jeffry Wickham) – Classic Movie Review 8224

Director Caspar Wrede’s offbeat, strained 1975 British thriller Ransom [The Terrorists] is set in Scandinavia and stars Sean Connery as a ruthless Norwegian special military police boss Colonel Tahlvik who is assigned to deal with the terrorist kidnapping of a British politician by a gang of hijackers led by Ray Petrie (Ian McShane) who seize a British plane as it is landing in Scandinavia.

Ransom is a low-budget British feature that cannot compete with similar American mainstream movies since it suffers from the lack of a razor-sharp screenplay (by Paul Wheeler) and inventive direction.

Despite its intriguing premise, the film is patchy and halting, though its best segments are quite gripping and entertaining. Connery’s commanding presence, Jerry Goldsmith’s score and Sven Nykvist’s startling Eastmancolor cinematography filmed in Norway are the main plus points.

Also in the cast are James Maxwell, Norman Bristow, John Cording, Isabel Dean, William Fox, John Quentin, Jeffry Wickham and Robert Harris.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8224

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