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Eye of the Needle

Eye of the Needle

  • Status: Released
  • 24-07-1981
  • Runtime: 108 min
  • Score: 6.6
  • Vote count: 245

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.

Donald Sutherland

Faber

Kate Nelligan

Lucy

Ian Bannen

Godliman

Christopher Cazenove

David

Faith Brook

Lucy's Mother

Barbara Ewing

Mrs. Garden

David Hayman

Canter

Alex McCrindle

Tom

Philip Martin Brown

Billy Parkin

Stephen MacKenna

Lieutenant

George Belbin

Lucy's Father

Barbara Graley

David's Mother

George Lee

Constable

Arthur Lovegrove

Peterson

Colin Rix

Oliphant

Chris Jenkinson

German SS Officer

William Merrow

German Radio Operator

Patrick Connor

Inspector Harris

Rupert Frazer

Muller

Jonathan Nicholas Haley

Jo

John Bennett

Kleinmann

Sam Kydd

Lock Keeper

John Paul

Home Guard Captain

Richard Graydon

Home Guard Private

Michael Mellinger

Portuguese Man

Allan Surtees

Colonel Terry

Don Fellows

American Colonel

Stewart Harwood

Sailor #1

Rik Mayall

Sailor #2

Rory Edwards

Sailor #3

Ellis Dale

Station Master

Bill Fraser

Mr. Porter

Michael Josephs

German Naval Captain

John Rees

German Naval Operator

John Grieve

Inspector Kincaid

Bruce White

Oban Policeman

David Ashton

Oban Radio Operator

Bill Nighy

Squadron Leader Blenkinsop

Stephen Phillips

Home Guard Corporal

Wuchak

**_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-