But Jonathan Demme deserves some credit. After having read many of the earlier reviews, however, I tend to agree that a lot of the theme is convoluted, and even the untrained eye will see familiar, much too familiar cinematography.
If one thinks of "Niagara", "Vertigo" and "The Man Who Knew Too Much", you will have a pastiche of ideas similar to this film.
Roy Scheider is very good, and underplays his role as a CIA/secret agent. Janet Margolin is attractive, but there is way too much melodrama when they first meet; too scripted. John Glover portrays an elitist professor, there are some interesting scenes at Princeton University. The shooting at the bell tower is similar to "Vertigo", right down to the winding staircase.
There is an interesting back story about the Jewish immigrants in New York, and David Margulies portrays a Rabbi who deciphers Aramaic messages. Perhaps this part of the story could have been more central, so we would not have wound up with a Hitchcock copycat film.
That aside, there are some unique camera shots, the backdrop of Niagara Falls is an interesting choice, and if you are at all interested in Demme's work, this film is worth viewing.
If one thinks of "Niagara", "Vertigo" and "The Man Who Knew Too Much", you will have a pastiche of ideas similar to this film.
Roy Scheider is very good, and underplays his role as a CIA/secret agent. Janet Margolin is attractive, but there is way too much melodrama when they first meet; too scripted. John Glover portrays an elitist professor, there are some interesting scenes at Princeton University. The shooting at the bell tower is similar to "Vertigo", right down to the winding staircase.
There is an interesting back story about the Jewish immigrants in New York, and David Margulies portrays a Rabbi who deciphers Aramaic messages. Perhaps this part of the story could have been more central, so we would not have wound up with a Hitchcock copycat film.
That aside, there are some unique camera shots, the backdrop of Niagara Falls is an interesting choice, and if you are at all interested in Demme's work, this film is worth viewing.