Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Hayleigh Joseph This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

nat_mann Implausible plot. Cheesy special effects. One of the worst acted films I have ever seen. Stand wooden faced, then scowl and shout. Over and over. Given the caliber of the actors and since they were all doing it, I have to blame the director. Unwatchable. I gave it a two because it was not actively offensive, just really, really bad.-------------"And wasn't that Richard Attenborough playing the jeweler visited by the two men from New Scotland Yard"I thought the exact same thing. It was the highlight of the movie. Too bad he wasn't in the rest of the movie. He must have read the script.

CatoTSR2 Yet another Bond/Harry Palmer homage' or pastiche in parts. The Black Windmill has now become a Don Siegel timeless classic. Overshadowed by miles by Dirty Harry in its day, TBW was a rough diamond twinkling in its wake. Fabulous casting unparallelled and the acting was timed and placed to the second. This movie based on the Egleton novel was true to form in all areas. The story of the Whitehall spook having his son kidnapped while bosses had their own mits in the pot, is compelling and addictive. The film theme score in fairness appears to be a transposed rehash of Fear Is The key (Alastair Mclean) However the genius of Roy Budd is allowed these minor trivialities in such circumstances. Caine is sheer brilliant in his usual manner in these roles, along with Suzmann/Vernon and a whole host of luvvies that went on to stellar TV careers this really is a great "Cribs" movie.

lost-in-limbo Every now and again you come across a film that's somewhat a letdown, even when those expectations are kept at bay. Don Siegel's mid-70s espionage-thriller 'The Black Windmill' that starred Michael Caine falls in that category. If anything it was that title (which the story is adapted off Clive Egleton's novel "Seven Days to a Killing") which caught my eye. Siegel's adapt, controlled workhorse direction tackles the subdued material with little suspense, but constructing something tight, sullen and dry with the main focus on building something out of its elaborately knotty (but dubious) premise. It's a true pot-boiler entangled with twists. While the material is stimulating (with some good work by the solid support performances and an occasionally witty line) and the sturdy set-pieces are competently crafted, however the pacing is too blotchy and in the end it builds to really nothing. It loses some weight due to the lack of suspense and urgency with a crackerjack climax that's just too quick. Michael Caine's composed performance is strongly delivered, and John Vernon makes for an ideally icy and conniving villain. Donald Pleasance is delightfully squirmy (which his character likes to really fiddle with that moustache) and Janet Suzman provides some fire. Delphine Seyrig and Clive Revill offer able support too. Roy Budd's sizzling, but low-key music score works well and Ousama Rawi lenses it with a great illustrative eye. Siegel's touch is evident in both of those devices. An unexceptional feature, but still its well organised and performed.

Coventry This early 70's British thriller is presented by a famous director (Don Siegel of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and "Dirty Harry") and stars a couple of very prominent and contemporary popular male names like Michael Caine, Donald Pleasence and John Vernon. Yet it somehow ended up in total oblivion and it has not been released on DVD so far. Perhaps this can partly be explained because it's a very slow and largely action-free movie that came out in era dominated by rough and extravagant exploitation efforts. Still, if you're a fan of espionage or political thrillers in general, you might want to look for "the Black Windmill" after all, since it definitely contains some redeeming elements. Although completely implausible, the story is fairly compelling with some inventive plot twists and – most notably – some excellent examples of dry British humor. Caine plays an agent working for the country's secret service, a job that already cost him his marriage. When his 7-year-old son gets kidnapped and the culprits demand an extremely high ransom to be paid in diamonds, John Tarrant starts the rescue mission on his own. While his supervisors still wonder about where the leak in their organization comes from, Tarrant steals the diamonds himself and heads for France to meet the kidnappers. Nothing spectacular happens for a long, long time and it's only Donald Pleasence's (and others) wit remarks that keep you mildly interested in the film. The entire middle-section is painfully boring and, although the ending makes up for much, it can't possibly be called a classic. Oh, and don't start looking for the mysterious titular black windmill right away, as this uncanny building is just a tiny aspect in the story and not even that relevant. Not trying to spoil things here, just advising the people that are, like me, attracted by the ominous windmill on the box cover not to expect too much.