Juggernaut (1974)

A blackmailer demands a huge ransom in exchange for information on how to disarm the seven bombs he placed aboard the transatlantic liner Britannic.

Director:

Richard Lester

Writers:

Richard Alan Simmons (as Richard De Koker), Alan Plater (additional dialogue)

Stars:

Richard Harris, Omar Sharif, David Hemmings

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Harris	...	Lt. Cmdr. Anthony Fallon
Omar Sharif	...	Captain Alex Brunel
David Hemmings	...	Charlie Braddock
Anthony Hopkins	...	Supt. John McCleod
Shirley Knight	...	Barbara Bannister
Ian Holm	...	Nicholas Porter
Clifton James	...	Corrigan
Roy Kinnear	...	Social Director Curtain
Caroline Mortimer	...	Susan McCleod
Mark Burns	...	Hollingsworth
John Stride	...	Hughes
Freddie Jones	...	Sidney Buckland
Julian Glover	...	Commander Marder
Jack Watson	...	Chief Engineer Mallicent
Roshan Seth	...	Azad

Storyline

Some unknown maniac is threatening a navigation company to blow up one of its luxury transatlantics, the "Britannic", now in high sea with one thousand two hundred passengers. He is asking for a five hundred thousand pound sterling ransom, otherwise the seven bombs aboard will explode. An experienced anti-bomb squad is sent to the "Britannic", but although all the bombs are located, a very high skill level will be necessary to dismantle them. Perhaps that task is impossible.

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Plot Keywords:

time bomb | character name as title | nickname as title | bomb | ransom | 

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Taglines:

Pay Me 1 1/2 Million Dollars By Dawn or the World's Greatest Liner Will Rip Open Like a Can of Sardines and 1200 People Will Die - Juggernaut

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 September 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Juggernaut

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Gross USA:

$3,400,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

David V. Picker Productions, Two Roads Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (DeLuxe) Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of two 1974 theatrical movies featuring Omar Sharif. The other being The Tamarind Seed (1974).

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Goofs

the EOD team wouldn't have had to be parachuted onto the sea & then attempt to climb aboard the liner. they'd have been winced aboard from an overhead helicopter.

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Quotes

Lt. Cmdr. Anthony Fallon: Fallon is the champion!

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Connections

Referenced in Things They Said Today (2002)

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Soundtracks

Auld Lang Syne
(1788)
Traditional Scottish 17th century music
Lyrics by Robert Burns
Played by a band when the Britannic is leaving port

User Reviews

Decent suspenser without fanfare and bunting.

Not to say there are no thrills in this 1974 British offering for the jumbled genres of action and disaster so prevalent in this particular decade, because there are more than enough for it to warrant entry into both genres. Although the sum of its parts is a simple Good Vs Evil axis the film has the bonus {and important trait} of characters that are thoroughly believable, be it Richard Harris's stoic Lt. Cmdr. Anthony Fallon, or Roy Kinnear's Social Director Curtain, both men poles apart on a social level but crucially; both men that exist in the real world.

The film follows a predictable format of character building because the type of film demands it, if people are going to be in peril then we want to care about them, or at the very least know about them. Juggernaut does this very well, so that when the second half of the film kicks in, when the brave bomb disposal guys are putting life and limb on the line, the film has our undivided attention. It's then a case of hold your breath as the tension rises, and it's all played out with some delightful dialogue from the lead players in the film. This is good honest film making in a much criticised genre and it certainly is worth a look at least once for those interested in quality suspense without the end of the world being at stake. 7/10