Film 10/52: Journey Into Fear (1975)


There's no easy way to say it. Journey Into Fear was in fact a journey into disappointment. I had picked up the Blu Ray a while back purely based on the stellar cast — Sam Watterson, Vincent Price, Donald Pleasance, Yvette Mimieux and a young Ian McShane! How could one go wrong? When I ran the opening credits (in lieu of a trailer) for Vonna, the cast list was sufficient for her to vote for this selection (over the likes of Jet Pilot and Jack the Giant Killer).

The film wastes no time getting to the action, abruptly starting with a car careening out of control down a hill; ultimately crashing in a fiery explosion. Sam Watterson survives the crash, and continues to experience a series of near-death experiences which, had this been a slapstick comedy instead of a 'thriller,' might have been more entertaining to watch. Yes, great actors pop up at nearly every turn, but almost all of them (including Watterson) are wasted on the material. Believe me when I say the story doesn't warrant a more detailed synopsis. I think my favorite performance is from Ian McShane, who all but remains silent throughout (surprising, given the number of amazing speeches he came to be known for in Deadwood!). Vincent Price makes for a fine villain, as always, and I will admit the action in the final act (which despite going on too long) allows the film to end on a high note.

Our shared disappointment with the film inspired us to research it in more detail, and we were quite surprised to learn that it was in fact the second adaptation of the Eric Ambler novel of the same name. It appears that we picked the wrong version to screen, as the 1945 adaptation starring Joseph Cotten, Dolores del Rio and Orson Welles sounds like it's a more entertaining noir film. 

As a result of this pick, Vonna has waived her voting rights on future 52 Pick-Up selections. To be fair, this series was never about only watching classics; been there — done that. This is about watching films in our library that we haven't previously experienced on the big screen in The Slaughtered Lamb Cinema, and given that a good number will be films we've never seen at all, we have to prepare ourselves for a few low points along the way. Surely whatever 'K' film we watch will be better... right?

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