The Naked Face

1984 "Somebody wants him dead for a secret he doesn't have!"
5.5| 1h43m| R| en| More Info
Released: 01 June 1984 Released
Producted By: The Cannon Group
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

Chicago psychiatrist Judd Stevens is suspected of murdering one of his patients when the man turns up stabbed to death in the middle of the city. After repeated attempts to convince the cops of his innocence, Dr. Stevens is forced to go after the real villains himself.

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Reviews

Libramedi Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant
mraculeated The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.
Patience Watson One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.
Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Scott LeBrun Bryan Forbes ("The Stepford Wives" '75) directed this adaptation of a Sidney Sheldon novel in addition to writing it for the screen. Sir Roger Moore tackles a change of pace role, playing Dr. Judd Stevens, a Chicago psychiatrist. One of his patients is murdered for no apparent reason, and his secretary is horribly tortured before being killed. Lt. McGreary (Rod Steiger) is a volatile police detective, bearing a grudge against Stevens, who's very quick to consider the doctor a prime suspect. The story then unfolds as one would expect it to, as Dr. Stevens must evade attempts on his life while trying to prove his innocence and keep McGreary out of his hair."The Naked Face" really isn't deserving of some of the talent here. Made on the cheap by the Cannon Group (basically because some of their other product during this time had under performed at the box office), it adequately entertains without being remarkable in any way. Viewers may feel underwhelmed by the twists that the story provides, and the climactic reveal and confrontation fail to be that satisfying. Editing, photography, and pacing are all reasonably well done, although that music score by Michael J. Lewis is awfully melodramatic. The last second shock ending is quite annoying.Moore is okay, no more, as our somewhat reserved main character, while Steiger is given yet another opportunity to rip the scenery to shreds. Elliott Gould is actually good as McGreary's partner Angeli. Lovely Anne Archer is appealing as always in her small role as one of the patients. David Hedison lends solid support as Stevens's good friend (and brother-in-law) Dr. Peter Hadley. The main attraction, however, is Art Carney in a likable turn as a sly private detective. The film gets just a little bit better when he turns up.Fans of these actors and this genre may enjoy this one. At least it delivers one memorable sequence involving one of the attempts to kill off Stevens.Six out of 10.
alpinegazebos I really liked Elliott Gould's (Stand-In/Double) Richard Slamp. He was excellent and made the movie worth seeing. I would like to see him in more films. Roger Moore is a great actor and I have enjoyed him starting in his early days as "The Saint". Rod Steiger is so intense...he is one of the best actors of his day. It's too bad that this film didn't get the screen coverage it deserved, it would have been a big hit. This film is rather dark and depressing, but the topic of the movie calls for this type of background. There are some very good shots of the beautiful city of Chicago in this movie. This film has several of my favorite actors in it and that in itself makes it a very interesting watch for me. Art Carney (Norton), Elliott Gould (Mash), Roger Moore (The Saint and 007) Rod Steiger (Some like it hot, etc), David Hedison (Voyage under the sea), and Rick Slamp (Elliot's Stand-in and Double) This movie has some negative comments about Gays. This may be one of the reasons it didn't make it. All-in-All it was a pretty good film and I would suggest you pick up a copy and give it a View.
Mattyl110792 The Naked Face is an enjoyable movie with great performances from a brilliant cast. It is amazingly powerful and has a deep and realized screenplay. Though it has the fell of being very low budget and the poor and slow editing does not help here.Roger Moore delivers a driving performance as Dr. Judd Stevens. Along with Eliot Gould and Art Carney, The Naked Face Co-Stars the likes of Anne Archer (Clear And Present Danger) and David Hedison (Live And Let Die). It has great suspense sequences and a thrilling final battle. It is well directed and filmed but some areas need some major polish. It's good to see more human role unlike his parody of awful Bond films. There is also less campy moments than in your average Moore film. Although I am not sure if its available on VHS/DVD. 7/10
martin_humble In this 1985 step away of the bond era Moore finally gets to make a great movie. This is probably his best movie, maybe not in acting, but the script is hard to beat. The naked face origins from a novel by Sidney Sheldon. The story is good and it differs from many other in the genre. It is not easy to predict the ending. That alone makes this film worth seeing. There are also other facts that makes this well worth seeing. Rod Steiger plays more than well, making his character disgusting from time to time. Moore acts well and so does all roles. To this one ads good music and you cannot get anything but a great film. I say not it is excellent, but it comes close enough to be more than recommended.