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Eye of the Needle

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6.6/10 • 221

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

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  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

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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-

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  • Eye of the Needle backdrop
  • Eye of the Needle backdrop
  • Eye of the Needle backdrop
  • Eye of the Needle backdrop
  • Eye of the Needle backdrop
  • Eye of the Needle backdrop
  • Eye of the Needle backdrop
  • Eye of the Needle backdrop

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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