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Reviews
Skyjacked (1972)
Quite possibly the worst movie I have ever seen. . .
Skyjacked has no real characters, nary a coherent plotline, little suspense, and absolutely nothing to offer beyond cardboard acting, inconsistent direction, and jarring editing. From the opening sequence, designed to introduce the main players in clever or amusing ways as they board a plane for Minneapolis, the film is static and confusing. The thirty seconds or less devoted to each character is not enough to get a feel for their personality. Furthermore, a few second-person, "to the camera" shots, designed to introduce the "skyjacker," are confusing and poorly handled so as to throw the viewer out of the film's continuity. Later as the suspense is supposed to build, jump cuts abound and the action is otherwise so static as to be boring. One might think that Anchoarge is a routine stop on the way to Minneapolis rather than a forced destination by a crazed bomber for all of the concern that the actors display. The film is hardly worth following to its cryptic conclusion, a series of mindframe fantasies, the significance of which is never fully explained. There are some impressive "live airplane" exterior shots in what is otherwise a benign "aircraft fight sequence" but in comparison to the poorly designed set of the interior of the aircraft, serve to do little more than throw a disenchanted viewer even farther out of what little story there is. I viewed Skyjacked as part of a "disaster movie weekend" among such other 70's disaster fare as The Swarm, Fire!, Juggernaut, and Rollercoaster. The films were selected by a random sampling of second tier disaster flicks, and Skyjacked was picked by it's close proximity on the shelf to Rollercoaster and The Swarm. The 2002 Movie Guide had no review for Skyjacked, although it did give ratings of no stars to The Swarm, Fire!, and Rollercoaster. Obviously, the ommitting of Skyjacked was certainly on purpose; it was showing the proper opinion that the film should never have been made.
Guilty Conscience (1985)
A treat for Mystery, Hopkins, Danner, Sleuth fans!
Fans of Anthony Hopkins will delight in this carefully staged teleplay. Fans of Blythe Danner will also be pleased to see a favorite character actress given more screen time than usual.
Although the plot is fairly standard and the events mostly predictable, it comes off much better than say your average Perry Mason or Columbo Movie. Hopkins, as a high-priced, high-power attorney, is delightful as he comically and and viciously destroys his own plans for his wife's murder. The play succeeds in its own ability to recognize its weaknesses. Unlike most television mysteries where the audience is asked to ignore the plot holes and revel in the detective's brilliance at spotting the clue and solving the crime, this play takes pride in pointing out its own holes as it goes along. As an audience participation spectacle, it is fun to play along, spotting the holes before the characters do. Overall, it's a bit static, with the vast majority of the action never leaving the main house, and cynics will find fault or boredom with the events leading up to the conclusion. But fans of the genre, or of Hopkins, will no doubt remain intrigued and find the ending quite satisfying. The whole play comes off much like the great Olivier and Caine character study, "Sleuth" and those who have seen that longish masterpiece know what kind of a compliment that is, and will also appreciate that this is 34 minutes shorter.
Mystery fans can do much worse for an evenings entertainment.