Best movie of this year hands down!

best movie i've ever seen.

An Exercise In Nonsense

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

I'll put a disclaimer right at the top here that states that I do think 1979's The Passage is not a good film. It's a nasty watch, full of drawn out, sadistic situations and a bleak plot that elicits the hollow response of "why" to anyone who spends their time on it. And yet, it's interesting, if only to see the completely bonkers, untethered performance by Malcolm McDowell as a maniacally evil SS nazi officer. It's like they gave him a bunch of coke and liquor before the cameras were rolling, dressed him up in gestapo digs and set him loose on the other cast members. The story is about a German scientist (James Mason) being led across a treacherous mountain range by a rugged guide (Anthony Quinn). Hot on their heels is McDowell's Captain Von Berkow, who will stop at nothing, as well as kill, maim and intimidate everyone along the way to capture them. That's about all the plot goes for, and aside from some gorgeous Swedish locations, it's a very unpleasant affair to put yourself through, unless, like me, you're a die hard McDowell fan. His performance is something to bear witness to though, like a particularly bad car crash, so messed up and terrible that you can't take your eyes off it. Whether he's terrorizing and murdering a poor gypsy village led by Christopher Lee, shedding his uniform down to his outlandish SS issue jockstrap and raping Mason's daughter, or jovially playing chef as he chops off Michael Lonsdale's fingers with kitchen knives, he's a devilishly disgusting monster and one wonders how a performance so brash and obviously over the top slipped through the producer's net. An off putting, ugly, gratuitous flick that's worth a watch for pure morbid curiosity, and to see McDowell truly push boundaries into zones of extreme discomfort.

An insult to the intelligence of audiences worldwide and a smear upon their very souls, this film is among the true insults to the art of cinema. Disgusting in almost every way imaginable and indiscriminate in its violence and sadism, the director seems to strive desperately to terrorize his audience by filming the most unholy scenes possible. Quinn is awful but not nearly as ridiculously insane as McDowell is in what could only jokingly be called a "performance." His goofy murderer Nazi may have been intended as over the top but it is actually sewer level stupid. This is not only the very worst motion picture ever made about the Second World War. It is simply one of the worst films ever made and has nothing at all to recommend it in the very slightest. I saw this in London when it was first released and have never forgotten how really bad a film it was. Despicable, sickening, and beneath contempt. Not to mention a complete waste of time. Trash, garbage, celluloid rot, and much more.

Director J. Lee Thompson does a remarkably tremendous job in bringing this epic war adventure to the screen. However, this is much more than an adventure. It is an unrelentingly powerful story of Nazi sadism and cruelty at its most raw. After all these years since its release, it still haunts those who initially witnessed its unholy imagery of SS savagery and Gestapo monstrousness. Beautifully filmed, with exciting sequences of action and overwhelming suspense, it features a cast of exceptional actors doing some of the best work of their careers. Of course, the most noteworthy and notorious performance is given by Malcom McDowel as the Nazi officer who is the epitome of pure evil and bloodthirsty perversion. He is nothing less than superb in the most intense role he has ever played. He personifies the Nazi mindset and lust for violence as no other actor ever has. It is truly one of the most memorably disturbing characters ever written for the screen and McDowel is stunning.

The film talks upon a Basque shepherd (Anthony Quinn) whose assignment results to be the leading a family (James Mason , Patricia Neal , Kay Lenz and Clemens) through the Pyrenees mountains (France) until Spain . But they are relentlessly pursued by an evil Nazi officer (Malcolm McDowell) .The movie is set in Second War World when Hitler invaded France and ruled the collaborating government from Vichy under command of general Petain .In the flick there are shocks , action , thriller , shootouts , drama and deal of violence and tortures in charge of Malcolm McDowell .Acceptable acting with all-star-cast . Anthony Quinn and James Mason are good and give nice performances ; also Christopher Lee acting as an agreeable gypsy , changing his usual villain role .Malcolm McDowell's interpretation is overblown , he plays as an evil , sadist , wry and murderer Gestapo officer .The final confrontation between the starring family , the Basque and the Nazis across the snowy landscapes is breathtaking .The flick was regularly directed by J. Lee Thompson .The yarn will appeal to suspense , emotions enthusiasts and WWII buffs .Rating : 5.5/10 , mediocre .