Alistair MacLean's best-selling thrillers, with their complex and fast-moving plots and strong characterisation make ideal source material for movie adaptation. Not all of his novels have received the top-notch treatment they deserve at the hands of film-makers, however, and some of the movies have emerged as distinct disappointments. Fear Is the Key (1972) is definitely exception. It was the seventh MacLean book to be filmed and it is an exciting, action-packed adventure that contains just the right amounts of action and narrative to make it highly enjoyable movie. It simply sets out to entertain - and it succeeds splendidly.
The credit belongs equally to scriptwriter Robert Carrington, British director Michael Tuchner and star Barry Newman. The skillful screenplay combines an ingeniously plotted thriller with enough action sequences to keep the most jaded cinema-goer on the edge of his seat and there's a heart-stopping climax set four hundred feet below the surface of the sea. Adding to the impact are the well-chosen Louisiana locations and impressive cinematography by Alex Thompson. The rivetting action sequences include a twenty-minute car chase that is one of the best ever put on the screen. The chase is brought about by hero Barry Newman's determination to escape from his trial for a bar-room brawl, but it's really part of Newman's ingenious scheme to get his revenge on an oil millionaire who was responsible for the death of his wife, young child and his brother in an air crash... With Sarah Ruthven (Suzy Kendall) whom he has taken as a hostage during his break-out from court, Newman succeeds in penetrating the millionaire's organisation and starts to put his plans into action... the plot is filled with clever twists and never relaxes its grip for an instant and the whole movie adds up to first class entertainment for the whole family. It's the ideal combination of MacLean's skill as a story-teller and film-making at its slickest and best.

ALAN FRANK