Overview: From bestselling author Alistair MacLean (The Guns of Navarone, Where Eagles Dare) comes a pulse pounding, rip-roaring rampage of revenge starring Barry Newman, the king of existential cool who had previously put the pedal to the metal in Vanishing Point.

Mysterious drifter John Talbot (Newman) arrives in a small Louisiana town, picks a fight with local police and gets arrested. In court it is revealed he’s wanted for a number of violent crimes, but nothing is quite what it seems.

Staging a daring escape, Talbot abducts seemingly random spectator Sarah Ruthven (Suzy Kendall) and hits the road at high speed for a journey filled with unexpected twists and turns: a crashed airplane, a sleazy private investigator, criminal enforcers, and an oil millionaire. It’s a journey toward truth and vengeance and Talbot won’t hit the brakes until he gets there.

Director Michael Tuchner (Villain) delivers a crackerjack crime-thriller packed with great performances (including Ben Kingsley in his first movie role), an unforgettable score by Roy Budd (Get Carter), and stunt sequences coordinated by the legendary Carey Loftin (Bullit, Vanishing Point, The French Connection).

Simply put, Fear Is the Key is a white-knuckle winner that demands to be seen!

Blu-ray Verdict: Fear Is The Key is a mighty fine action flick based on Alistair MacLean’s novel and holds a few surprises for those lucky enough to catch this underrated gem (albeit now it is more accessible due to being released by the brilliant Arrow Films UK via MVD Visual, of course).

An unorthodox and at times bitty script is held together by an amiable cast including a young Ben Kingsley (debuting with a full head of hair) surprisingly in his only film before his Oscar winning performance of Ghandi ten years later.

The screenplay is a crafty one, with Barry Newman ploughing through the first half of the film seemingly out of control and playing a role hauntingly similar to his one in the excellent Vanishing Point, but this time in a Ford Gran Torino - keeping the viewer guessing what’s going to happen next and why.

As for a little insight into what is on offer here, Fear opens in Louisiana, as an unnamed man (Newman) is in radio contact with a plane. Suddenly it is shot out of the sky, and crashes. He looks mortified. We then move to a bar, where the same man raises a fuss because he cannot get a drink on a Sunday. He then beats up cops when they try to arrest him.

He winds up in court, and here we learn his name is John Talbot, a former underwater salvage expert wanted by Interpol. Also present is Sarah Ruthven (Suzy Kendall). Before he can be sentenced, Talbot escapes, taking Suzy as hostage. In a stolen car, they are chased relentlessly.

OK, well, that’s enough plot for to tell you more would be to spoil it. Suffice to say, that Talbot is not what he seems and the stakes are bigger than they first appear.

After a slightly boggy, espionage filled middle act the film coolly builds to a dramatic nail-biting finale and it is only here in the film’s dying moments do you actually discover the truth. And sure, though the ending may not quite reach some viewers expectations, it does wrap things up succinctly, making the thrills on the way (including a fine car chase that bursts from a courthouse breakout) all the more worthwhile.

This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
Original lossless mono audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
New audio commentary by filmmaker and critic Howard S. Berger
A Different Kind of Spy Game, a new visual essay by film critic and author Scout Tafoya
Fear in the Key of Budd, a new appreciation of composer Roy Budd and his score for Fear Is the Key by film and music historian Neil Brand
Bayou to Bray, an archive featurette in which crew members look back on the making of the film
Producing the Action, an archive interview with associate producer Gavrik Losey
Theatrical trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh
Double-sided foldout poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh
Illustrated collector’s booklet with new writing by filmmaker and critic Sean Hogan

www.arrowfilms.com