Juggernaut (1974)
Juggernaut (1974), directed by Richard Lester.
Seven barrel bombs have been placed on an ocean liner by a villain who knows what he is doing. He'll trade defusing instructions for cash. The clock is ticking. Gale force winds prevent evacuation of the passengers by lifeboat, so it is time to parachute in the bomb squad and see if they can apply their combined wit and white-knuckled craft.
This is an unusual action project for Lester, more accustomed to absurd comedies and costume pictures. He was an emergency hire after the first two directors quit, but he still had time for a complete rewrite of the script. He said it was fun to make and fun to watch.
How well does it work? It has a good cast with Richard Harris a standout as the bomb squad leader. The use of a real ships and docks helps the story quite a lot. Love of commandos and particularly of the bomb disposal squads is embedded in British mythology, particularly since the Blitz when unexploded bombs were a daily menace.
Given all that it seems like a half-baked effort, something like When Eight Bells Toll (1971) or Force 10 from Navarone (1978) (both Alistair MacLean stories, as it happens). The passengers are relatively unconcerned, even continuing with their costume ball in the face of sudden fiery death. It is harder on the policemen back home, hunting for the bomber. The bomb squad have to appear cool no matter what they are feeling.
The cast:
Richard Harris (The Molly Maguires (1970), The Wild Geese (1978), Patriot Games (1992)): head of the bomb squad. He has to get into the mind of the bomb maker as well as into the device itself.
David Hemmings (Blow-Up (1966), Deep Red (1975)) : his second in command.
Omar Sharif (The Night of the Generals (1967)): ship's captain.
Anthony Hopkins: a policeman who's wife and children are on board.
Ian Holm: company executive who would rather pay the ransom, but that is not allowed.
Clifton James: an American passenger, a better role for him than his comic bits as Sheriff J.W. Pepper in Live and Let Die (1973) and The Man with the Golden Gun (1974).
Roy Kinnear: a Lester favorite as ship's entertainment director, a funnyman who can't get a laugh this time.
Part of the plot is that all seven bombs have identical triggers. A serious mad bomber would have varied the design.
Available on Blu-ray from Kino.
Steven Soderbergh's book Getting Away With It has many interviews with Lester, interleaved with diary passages from a neurotically wry filmmaker.
Lester is both casual and confident by comparison. He works fast and doesn't wring his hands with indecision. The only feedback he values is from his editor.
In Soderbergh's opinion, Lester has produced:
Three Masterpieces
Four Classics
Six Worthwhile Divertissements
It's Trad, Dad! (1962) (aka Ring-a-Ding Rhythm!)
The Ritz (1976)
Superman II (1980) and Superman III (1983)
Three Really Fascinating Films That Get Better With Age
