Eye of the Needle main backdrop
Eye of the Needle main poster

Eye of the Needle

Visit website

6.6/10 • 220

1981-07-241h 48m

DramaThriller

To love a stranger is easy. To kill a lover is not.

Great Britain, 1944, during World War II. Relentlessly pursued by several MI5 agents, Henry Faber the Needle, a ruthless German spy in possession of vital information about D-Day, takes refuge on Storm Island, an inhospitable, sparsely inhabited island off the coast of northern Scotland.

Directors
Richard Marquand
Editors
Sean Barton

Top Billed Cast

View Credits
  1. Donald Sutherland

    Donald Sutherland

    Faber

  2. Kate Nelligan

    Kate Nelligan

    Lucy

  3. Ian Bannen

    Ian Bannen

    Godliman

  4. Christopher Cazenove

    Christopher Cazenove

    David

  5. Faith Brook

    Faith Brook

    Lucy's Mother

  6. Barbara Ewing

    Barbara Ewing

    Mrs. Garden

  7. David Hayman

    David Hayman

    Canter

  8. Alex McCrindle

    Alex McCrindle

    Tom

  9. Philip Martin Brown

    Philip Martin Brown

    Billy Parkin

Reviews1

View Reviews
Wuchak Avatar

Wuchak

Apr 27, 2023

8/10

To kill and love during WW2 with Donald Sutherland and Kate Nelligan A German spy in Britain (Sutherland) has strategic info on the D-Day landing in 1944. As he tries to elude the authorities, he stumbles on a couple living remotely near the coast (Nelligan and Christopher Cazenove). Will he make it out? Who will live and who will die? "Eye of the Needle” (1981) is a war drama/thriller, but not a conventional war movie. The plot has similarities to “The Eagle Has Landed” (1976) with the same actor as the spy (Sutherland). It’s almost as if they’re the same character. The difference is that “Eagle” features military combat whereas this one is decidedly a spy-on-the-run flick with the thrills thereof. Like “Eagle,” this is easily one of Sutherland’s top movies. The British scenery is awesome, the palette is colorful, the adventure is compelling, the drama/romance is good and the suspense is off-the-charts in the final act. There are elements of “The Eagle Has Landed,” “The Heroes of Telemark” (1965) and the later “The House on Carroll Street” (1988). If you like these flicks, this is a must; it’s as good or better than any of ’em. The film runs 1 hour, 52 minutes, and was shot in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, which is located in southwest Scotland, including Oban, nearby Connel Bridge and the Isle of Mull. Studio stuff was done in England in the greater London area, as well as the airport scene filmed at Blackbushe Airport. GRADE: A-

Media

  • Eye of the Needle poster
  • Eye of the Needle poster
  • Eye of the Needle poster
  • Eye of the Needle poster
  • Eye of the Needle poster
  • Eye of the Needle poster
  • Eye of the Needle poster
  • Eye of the Needle poster
  • Eye of the Needle poster

Recommendations

  • College main backdrop

    College

    4.7

  • Aniara main backdrop

    Aniara

    6.0

  • The Fourth Protocol main backdrop

    The Fourth Protocol

    6.2

  • Deceiver main backdrop

    Deceiver

    6.0

  • The Night of the Shooting Stars main backdrop

    The Night of the Shooting Stars

    7.1

  • The Black Room main backdrop

    The Black Room

    4.4

  • Three Coins in the Fountain main backdrop

    Three Coins in the Fountain

    5.9

  • Kokoda main backdrop

    Kokoda

    6.2

  • Silent Movie main backdrop

    Silent Movie

    6.5

  • Monsieur Lazhar main backdrop

    Monsieur Lazhar

    7.1

  • State of Grace main backdrop

    State of Grace

    6.9

  • Quick Change main backdrop

    Quick Change

    6.7

  • La Chèvre main backdrop

    La Chèvre

    7.1

  • All Quiet on the Western Front main backdrop

    All Quiet on the Western Front

    7.8

  • The Longest Day main backdrop

    The Longest Day

    7.6

  • The Treasure of the Sierra Madre main backdrop

    The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

    8.0

  • Body of Lies main backdrop

    Body of Lies

    6.6

  • In the Heat of the Night main backdrop

    In the Heat of the Night

    7.6

  • Wasabi main backdrop

    Wasabi

    6.6

  • Nothing Left to Do But Cry main backdrop

    Nothing Left to Do But Cry

    7.7

Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
$18,000,000.00
Keywords
husband wife relationshipbased on novel or booksubmarineworld war iid-daynazi spycold blooded killer1940sisolated island