The Terrorists (1974)

In a Scandinavian country, national security chief Colonel Tahlvik is tasked to rescue the passengers of a high-jacked British airliner while the British Ambassador is being held hostage at his residence by another terrorist team.

Director:

Casper Wrede

Writer:

Paul Wheeler

Stars:

Sean Connery, Ian McShane, Jeffry Wickham

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Connery	...	Tahlvik
Ian McShane	...	Petrie
Jeffry Wickham	...	Barnes
Isabel Dean	...	Mrs. Palmer
John Quentin	...	Shepherd
Robert Harris	...	Palmer
James Maxwell	...	Bernhard
William Fox	...	Ferris
Harry Landis	...	Lookout Pilot
Norman Bristow	...	Denver
John Cording	...	Bert
Christopher Ellison	...	Pete
Richard Hampton	...	Joe
Preston Lockwood	...	Hislop
Karen Maxwell	...	Eva

Storyline

A gang of hijackers led by Ray Petrie (Ian McShane) seize a British plane as it is landing in Scandinavia. Ruthless Military Police Chief Colonel Tahlvik (Sir Sean Connery) is assigned to rescue the plane and its passengers. But he must also deal with the problem of the British Ambassador, whose residence has been seized by a second group of terrorists.

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Plot Keywords:

hijacking | british | british ambassador | scandinavia | terrorist | 

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Taglines:

SKYJACK. KIDNAP. A time-bomb of suspense has started ticking. Two nations are being held for ransom and... Sean Connery is the agent who takes on The Terrorists

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Several of the local actors were dubbed with familiar sounding British voice-over actors.

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Quotes

Nils Tahlvik: National security becomes a farce if we throw away the rule of law.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: SCANDINAVIA DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

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Connections

Referenced in Casper och den förbjudna filmen (2009)

User Reviews

First film of terrorist group skyjacking

This film came out just two years after "Skyjacked," the first movie made about skyjacking. Most hijacking of airplanes before this were for one of two reasons – to extort money from the airlines, or to flee somewhere for political asylum. "The Terrorists" is the first movie made about organized terrorists taking over a plane. And it surely wasn't the last.

What is very good about this film is that it shows how security personnel handle the situation. It's new to all the characters in this film. Sean Connery plays the head of Scandinavian security, Co. Nils Tahlvik. While the movie uses the general term Scandinavian for the region, the event takes place in Norway, most likely Oslo. All the actors play their roles very well. The plot is complicated, and the script and direction handle it very well, so the audience is never lost about what is taking place.

The scenery and aerial photography are excellent. The flight into Russia with the buzzing and then escort by the Soviet-looking jets is most impressive. Even though the details are clear to the audience, the story has wonderful suspense as we see Tahlvik and the other characters go through their actions to meet deadlines. Connery's character also exclaims that to surrender to terrorists is to open to door to more and more terrorism. His purpose is to try to thwart the terrorists.

This is a nice film, filled with drama and suspense. There isn't a lot of action until the end. But, it is a good look at how government and security forces try to deal with terrorists and skyjackings.

"The Terrorists" has one subtle "message" of sorts. It takes a cynical stab at British government that will not arrest some criminals because they can be of use to them. The message is, that because they do that, it comes back to hurt innocent people. Connery's character insists that the law be followed, or anarchy will rule.

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 February 1975 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Terrorists

Filming Locations:

Oslo, Norway

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lion International, Twentieth Century Fox, Rawley Film & Theatre

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor) (uncredited)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1