On J List of Movie Reviews
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Juggernaut (1974)
Rate:
8
Viewed:
5/22, 5/24
5/22:
Think of Juggernaut as a cross between Titanic and
Blown Away.
While it looks dated and the dialogue isn't great, the suspense still holds up. By the way, Juggernaut has been
incorrectly labeled a disaster film when it should be a crime thriller. Richard Harris gives a fabulous performance as
Fallon the undefeated champion, having defused many bombs throughout his career. The latest act of terrorism proves to be
his toughest challenge yet. It's what makes the movie go.
Along with Omar Sharif and Shirley Knight, the British cast is nice which includes Anthony Hopkins, Ian Holm, David Hemmings,
and Roy Kinnear at his silliest best. The Indian steward who died during the first bomb blast is played by Roshan Seth.
Speaking of the aforementioned incident, I don't understand why the boat didn't show any internal damage afterwards.
Weren't the steel doors open that it would be tough to stop the water from coming in?
When Fallon asked for Buckland to get on the phone, I was thinking whatever he said, just do the opposite. Then, I was
proven correct. The parachute scene is dramatic, and the inclement weather is just as how it happened during the filming.
As a matter of fact, the event was inspired by a real life bomb threat that was aboard a British ocean liner in 1972.
All in all, thanks to Richard Harris for adding a great deal of suspense, Juggernaut should
be regarded as an underrated British thriller.
5/24:
Richard Harris is still the man.
If not for him, Juggernaut wouldn't have worked. It's a good story with plenty of suspense and a believable set of
circumstances. Just ignore Shirley Knight and Roy Kinnear; they're plain annoying and have nothing to do with what's going
on. By the way, the people calling Juggernaut a "disaster film" are wrong, wrong, wrong. It was an act of terrorism!
All in all, the best line of Juggernaut is said by Richard Harris: "Fallon is the champion."