On E List of Movie Reviews

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Eye of the Needle (1981)

Rate: 6
Viewed: 1/11

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1/11: Eye of the Needle was grabbing my attention for a while until Donald Sutherland's character got shipwrecked.

Then, the movie fell apart from there on. It became boring because things had slowed down. Finally, when Needle's potential was fully realized, he began acting stupid which ultimately killed him.

I've had a difficult time believing Needle's mistakes because he's too good to make them. Come on, he was a successful spy for Germany and had undertaken more difficult missions during his career. At least, the filmmakers should show respect for his character. Besides, Donald Sutherland's role is a bit too alike to The Eagle Has Landed.

Thinking of how Needle was killed, do I expect to believe the housewife could hit him successfully in three out of six shots? Impossible. Maybe one will hit him by sheer luck of aiming the gun in the right direction. Meanwhile, the cast is perfectly fine, and Kate Nelligan is the standout. Donald Sutherland is great as usual.

Granted, because of the ending, Eye of the Needle is the antithesis of Casablanca. However, I'm not feeling the emotions...the irony of it all. In short, it's not convincing. That's why the movie fell apart. Hence, the blame lies squarely on Richard Marquand for his poor direction and inexperienced handling of the material. At least, I like the location, especially the house that's situated on Storm Island which is actually Isle of Mull, Argyll, and Bute in Scotland. By the way, helicopters weren't used during WWII.

All in all, if Eye of the Needle had a more able director, it would've been a better movie.