Jolly well done. Sharif plays the captain of an ocean liner upon which several bombs have been planted by Jones, a demolitions expert who demands a ransom not to blow up the ship at sea. Back on shore, the superintendent in charge of the case (Hopkins) brings extra concern to his work on
the crisis because his wife, Mortimer, is one of the hostages. A team of experts, including Harris and Hemmings, is dispatched to the ship by helicopter to defuse the bombs. The rest of the film is a tense battle between the bomb experts and Jones, who stays on the telephone to taunt the
crisis-intervention team with details about his plot.
Lester, known mainly for his comedy work (A HARD DAY'S NIGHT), does a good job of keeping viewers on the edge of their seats. And JUGGERNAUT, far more than a disaster picture, is a telling statement about England's troubles, the country neatly symbolized by the liner itself. The film captures
perfecly the atmosphere of an over-hyped "luxury" liner. Harris gives a terrific performance and this is the best work ever done by Sharif, thanks to apt casting as the slimy ship captain. leave a comment
