Cry Panic (1974 TV Movie) User Reviews

John Forsythe's Best Role

[krorie · 7/10 · 22 May 2006]

Considering this made-for-TV flick was first televised in 1974, it holds up very well and for the most part delivers the goods, filled with suspense and thrills aplenty. What a great cast! John Forsythe, heretofore known mainly for his rather bland role as "Bachelor Father" and later of "Charlie's Angels" fame, surprises the viewer with one of the best performances ever in a TV film. His David Ryder portrayal should have given him an Emmy, but I'm sure it went unnoticed at the time. Supporting Forsythe are such reliable actors as Earl Holliman, Ralph Meeker, and Anne Francis.

The DVD transfer that I watched contained bleached-out color. This was distracting because the cinematography seemed otherwise excellent. Hopefully, a better transfer will be available. There are several above-average made-for-TV movies from the 1970's that are still unavailable on DVD. What a shame!

The talented writer Jack B. Sowards, who helped write the screenplay for the best of the Star Trek movies, "The Wrath of Khan," comes up with a doozy of a story for "Cry Panic." David Ryder accidentally hits a pedestrian while on a business trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco. He examines the body to find the man dead. He then walks to the nearest house to call the police. He confronts a nervous woman who permits him to use her phone. Once the cops arrive, no body is found. As the mystery deepens, Ryder learns that the town is attempting to cover up a conspiracy of some kind. Ryder becomes the target of those who see him as a danger to their covert scheme.

In some aspects the plot is a reworking of "Bad Day At Black Rock," minus the political overtones of the McCarthy Era, yet original enough to warrant it being judged on its own merits. The resolution is rather abrupt, leaving much to the viewer's imagination; otherwise, a worthwhile and entertaining picture.

Kafkafornia

[Putzberger · 5/10 · 24 March 2013]

What happens when someone hands a great idea for an existential film noir -- a lone traveler on a deserted highway runs over and kills a stranger, tries to tell the police, and isn't believed because the body disappears -- to a purveyor of processed cinematic cheese food like Aaron Spelling? The result is the inexplicably titled "Cry Panic," a cheapo ABC movie of the week from 1974 starring John Forsythe as the wanderer lured into a trap, Anne Francis as the de riguer bored sexy housewife, and Earl Holliman as the morally ambiguous sheriff of the small town where Forstythe collides with destiny.

The film should be tightly written, but it is not -- Forsythe's character can pursue his aim of proving that he's a killer thanks to a series of unlocked windows, open doors, and lucky discoveries, plus, we never know whether Holliman is acting alone to gaslight Forsythe, or is being manipulated by the other has-been actors who run the town. Such slack storytelling would be forgivable if the movie were atmospheric, but it is not -- it looks like a cop show and makes very little use of the emptiness and darkness that creeps into view now and then, and the director tosses in twangy, generic country music where silence might be more effective. Such bland filmmaking would be forgivable if the movie were perfectly cast, but it is not. There are actors who can portray the kind of dogged existential hero who will save his sanity by proving he's a killer, but John Forsythe ain't one of them. The scriptwriters make it easy for him to play a rootless nobody by giving him no past and no future aside from a potential job interview in San Francisco, but Forsythe, ever suave and even-tempered, still looks like a disgruntled suburban Dad whose Corvette ran out of gas on the way to his country club, more the kind of man who'll make trouble go away with a firm handshake that conceals a Benjamin than a relentless pursuer of truth at any cost. There's also the fact that his character seems way too stupid to figure out a junior-level crossword puzzle, let alone a convoluted mystery. He keeps trusting the wrong people, and when he discovers a dead body while eavesdropping on his pursuers he screams and runs out of his hiding place like a hysterical preteen girl. Anne Francis wanders on and offscreen looking like she doesn't quite know what she's doing there, which kind of works for her character. That so flawed a movie should still make such an impression is a testament to the great idea on which it's based, you just wish it could have been a little better.

Spelling-Goldberg TV-movie packed with twists and turns...

[moonspinner55 · 5/10 · 5 July 2017]

Motorist John Forsythe, taking the back roads to San Francisco for a job interview, hits a man standing in the middle of the street; believing he's killed a pedestrian, Forsythe goes for help--but when he returns with the local sheriff, the body has been taken away (the lawman doesn't believe clear-thinking Forsythe, per the usual backwater sheriff in these type of movies, and accuses him of being drunk). Everything that follows is a con job on the poor driver, and it takes Forsythe a while to get the message he's being used as a patsy in an unexplained plot that involves everyone from a bartender to a motel clerk to a garage mechanic to a housekeeper anxious to get out of town. TV drama keeps the suspense level high, even when our hero acts stupidly (finding a body in a freezer, Forsythe cries and panics, which I guess is where the title comes into play). Jack B. Sowards' script doesn't always play fair with the audience (Anne Francis' mystery lady appears out of nowhere in a bar...and vanishes just as easily), however Forsythe's nightmare is an intriguing one...at least until the finale where (intentionally) nothing is solved. This must be the writer's definition of irony.

How far would you go?

[Anonymous_Maxine · 6/10 · 21 March 2006]

I got this film on a collection of older mysteries that came with And Then There Were None. Normally I would have skipped over it but the reviews online said it was pretty good and since it's barely an hour long I decided to give it a shot. It is certainly a competent thriller, although with minimal production values, and the ending calls to attention a curious little hole in the mental health world that I recently saw brought to light in Dennis Lehane's (the author of Mystic River) novel, Shutter Island. When someone is called insane, any defense that they put forth for themselves all too often plays right into their accusers' hands. David Ryder, the film's protagonist, is labeled insane at the end of the film, and the more he tries to defend himself, the crazier he looks.

The movie takes place back in the days when you could wreck your car and then get it fixed for less than $50, and the story concerns a highway accident, in which David runs down a man on the highway and kills him, only to find him missing after David calls for help. Throughout the rest of the movie, David is frantically trying to find out who took the body and why, and why no one will believe that he killed someone on the road.

The movie makes you ask yourself how far you would go until someone believed that you had actually killed someone, and I have to confess that I would long since have left town. I'll be the first to claim responsibility in an accidental highway death (and thank God I've never had to), but as soon as people started pointing guns at me for claiming to be responsible for accidentally killing a man, I would have gotten out of town in a hurry, I can tell you that.

The plot certainly keeps you guessing, since it is definitely a mystery as to why anyone would steal and hide the body after David hit the man, but unfortunately when the mystery is finally revealed, to say that it is a letdown is something of an understatement. It keeps you going and keeps you interested, but the payoff is pretty weak.

Above average

[analoguebubblebath · 14 March 2002]

Taut and relatively brief [running time 74m], "Cry Panic" is an above-average TVM. The tension and suspense build nicely and the twists that emerge keep the viewer's interest from waning.

This was shown on TV here the same week as "One Of My Wives Is Missing" - and thankfully I managed to record both.

7/10

Good TV film

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 20 May 2020]

Jack B. Sowards created perhaps one of the most interesting parts of Star Trek: the Kobayashi Maru, a no-win scenario for new Starfleet captains that was first brought up in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. He also wrote this TV movie which was directed by James Gladstone, whose tie to Star Trek is directing the classic episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before." He also was behind the films Rollercoaster and When Time Ran Out...

Dennis Ryder (John Forsythe, who is astounding in this movie) is driving to San Francisco for a job interview when he hits a man who no one will admit is dead. No one - the sheriff (Earl Holliman from Police Woman), Ralph Meeker from The Alpha Incident, the town doctor (Noman Alden, Kansas City Bomber) and certainly not Anne Francis.

Jason Wingreen, who is in this, was also the voice of Boba Fett.

Seriously, this entire town is against Ryder. It's a taunt 74 minutes and gets more out of that time than three movies today. I've heard people say it has a David Lynch vibe, which I can see. It's intriguing when a man knows that he's killed somebody and begs the police to charge him.

A really exciting film....

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 27 December 2016]

David Ryder (John Forsythe) is riding cross-country when a guy steps in front of his car. He's distracted and hits the man--killing him instantly. David is a very decent person and wants to do the right thing. After checking unsuccessfully to save the guy, he goes to a nearby house to call the police. Things seem pretty normal so far...so far! But soon things start getting weird. The police claim they can't find the boy and the sheriff (Earl Holliman) seems determine to just chalk it all up to a mistake by Ryder...and refuses to investigate further! Then, folks in town start lying and twisting things. Something obviously is going on and things only escalate...to the point where David is in fear for his life! What is going on here?!?!

This is a relatively common plot for TV mystery shows. "Mannix", "Quincy", "Cannon" and other mystery programs of the era have used the stranger walking into town with a conspiracy idea. But they didn't handle it this well...and this is really one of the best "ABC Movie of the Week" installments I have seen...and I've seen quite a few. Tense and well worth your time.

You begin to wonder with these 70's TV road movies if it was a plot by the airlines to get the country to fly rather than drive.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 23 November 2021]

An intense performance by John Forsythe in this TV movie produced by his future "Dynasty" employer Aaron Spelling (one of several that he did) is the highlight of this intense but basically average TV movie that once again shows a man in jeopardy while on the road. Like "Duel" and at least half a dozen other TV movies I have seen from that era, it focuses on what can happen when an obvious city slicker goes through the sticks.

A man appears on the road as the film begins, and in spite of trying to Swerve to avoid him, Forsyth runs him over, and believes that he's killed him. Nobody in the town really want to become involved in this case, and Sheriff Earl Holliman basically wants to drop the whole thing. But you have a femme fatale played by Anne Francis as well as several other shady characters, and it's obvious that something is going on.

It's the performances, not the script that makes this watchable, although there are several scenes that are very intense. A scene of Forsyth finding a dead man in a meat locker is certainly one of the scariest moments I've seen in a TV movie of the week. Forsythe and Francis get the bulk of the best moments, but it is frustrating that someone can't drive cross country in one of these movies without finding terror. It's that cliche that just turns us into a standard movie of the week that most likely was forgotten for years until it popped up to be rediscovered.

Strange But Good Mystery-Thriller

[Rainey-Dawn · 8/10 · 6 September 2019]

This is the first time I recall seeing this film - happy to run across it one night. It's one of the strangest films I've seen in a long while - a compliment, I love the odd.

The story is about a man named David Ryder - he's going to California for a job interview. During his trip, he accidentally hit a man, got out of the car to see about him but found him what he thinks is dead. Ryder does the right thing and finds a nearby house to call the police to report it. Things gets weird when the police show up and no dead body at the scene - leaves the question: did the man die and someone move the body or was the man still alive and got up to walk away? The film follows Ryder on the mission to find out the answers.

8.5/10

A real treat

[MillBay · 23 May 2000]

This is a thoroughly enjoyable film. The acting is of a high calibre, the elements of suspense are present, and there are just enough twists and turns to keep one interested. John Forsythe, as usual, delivers a strong performance. I truly recommend this little made-for-television gem (and note how it is full of t.v. faces you will recognize from elsewhere, for sure).

Cry panic

[coltras35 · 9/10 · 12 August 2022]

A man accidentally runs over and kills a pedestrian outside a small town. He begins to suspect that the locals, including the sheriff, are keeping secrets about the victim.

A compelling thriller that is like Bad Day at Black Rock meets A Lady Vanishes, Cry Panic boasts a strong performance by John Forsythe, who goes to some lengths to prove that he had hit someone. He calls the police to do the right thing and report the accident, however the body has vanished. It's obvious the town members are hiding something. It can be convulated at times, but it's a taut and engaging enough to pull you in, though the reasoning behind the town folks' cover-up isn't too clear, well not after much analysis.

Great Suspense Movie

[PaulJ7460 · 14 September 2005]

I managed to get a copy of this movie many years ago on VHS. For some reason, this TV Movie of the Week was stuck in my head for years. It was very suspenseful and kept me on the edge of my seat. The scene where Forsythe discovers the body of Mr. Gaines in the meat locker was pretty scary. I'll never forget that. Claudia McNeill ("A Raisin in the Sun")is superb as Mr. Gaine's housekeeper. She does a good job lying for the cop, played by Earl Holliman. This movie is rare to be seen today as most of the TV movies of the '70's are pretty much forgotten but there are a few gems, this being one of them. Try to get it on ebay if you can!

Miranda's Lover

[tedg · 18 February 2006]

Sometimes movies can seem better because the appearance of an actor recalls past roles that expand the scope of the story.

In this case, we have a short TeeVee movie that isn't incompetent. For the era, that was a major deal.

Its based on "The Chase" with Jane Fonda and Marlon Brando, plus an already famous Rod Serling -type twist. A driver kills a drunk pedestrian in a remote town, then the facts become all contested by those in that town.

We are supposed to be sustained by the depth of the characters; compared to other TeeVee fodder, they are deep. But if you watch it today, you won't have that, so you have to rely on the twist and threat to carry you, and they just aren't that powerful.

But it features Ann Francis in a key role, a mysterious beautiful woman who represents the mystery.

This is the same woman who at 26 played the teenage daughter of a Prospero in perhaps the greatest pure science fiction movie ever, "Forbidden Planet." Her face has changed (here at 43), but she has that distinctive mole that transports us back to the planet every time we see her here.

In "planet" she was a sort of representative of uncontrollable urges that represent the larger part of life.

If you know that, and can read it into this thin construction, it is enriched.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

"Looks To Me Like You Could Use A Cup Of Coffee!"...

[azathothpwiggins · 22 August 2022]

While on a long trip, David Ryder (John Forsythe) hits and kills a man with his car. After calling the local Sheriff, David heads back to the accident site. However, when he returns to the scene, the Sheriff (Earl Holliman) is there, but the victim is gone. This is only the beginning of a very strange, unsettling experience for David.

CRY PANIC is a disorienting made-for-TV mystery-thriller. Forsythe is quite convincing as the everyman caught in what appears to be a web of deception and conspiracy. As the story unfolds, we are just as confused as David, and just as suspicious.

Holliman is the perfect lawman, who just might not be on the up-and-up. Ralph Meeker is the town mechanic who seems to be hiding something. Anne Francis plays a woman who might know what's really going on.

This movie makes you hold on, right up to the closing credits!...