Fluentiama Perfect cast and a good story

Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

ma-cortes Enjoyable mystery movie involves a guilt-ridden agent , and her new friend who attempt to locate a strange murderer who leaves Jewish signals ; as it begins with an ancient warning and it ends at the edge of Niagara Falls . A feverish thriller in the Hitch style containing several iconographic elements and dealing with an ex-secret serviceman called Harry Hannan (a tremendous Roy Scheider) and his wife being attacked by hoodlums (Joe Spinell) when they find on holiday . The government agent barely recovered from nervous breakdown after seeing his spouse shot by bullets and he then becomes involved into a criminal intrigue . As someone attempts to push him under a train , other people pursues to him . Later on , he receives a mysterious death threat in Aramean language . There happens five murders , Harry must solve the or die trying . Meanwhile , an anthropologist (a non box-office actress named Janet Margolin , here excellent , though sadly died a bit later on) unintentionally shares Scheider's flat . Scheider has his old colleagues (Christopher Walken) and his brother-in-law (Demme frequently casts Charles Napier) out to get him .Entertaining mystery movie packs thrills , action , suspense , pounding soundtrack and breathtaking outdoors from Niagara . This agreeable picture has a number of elements and iconography from Alfred Hitchcock : vertiginous heights , innocent men wrongfully accused , gorgeous bombshells , voyeurism , long non-dialogue sequences , among others . Demme's tribute to Hitch includes various street scenes from ¨Marnie¨ , the bell-tower from ¨Vertigo¨ and the final climax straight from ¨Saboteur¨ transferred from the Statue of Liberty to Niagara Falls . Furthermore , ¨Niagara¨ by Henry Hathaway , in which there is also a Femme Fatale played by Marilyn Monroe who spells a deranged man performed by Joseph Cotten and of course the breathtaking Niagara Falls with people fighting next to viewpoint similarly to ¨The last embrace¨. However , the film achieved limited success and in some countries was shunned by its distributors . Good acting by Roy Scheider as a secret agent becomes involved in a deep nightmare and Janet Margolin as a strange woman who has taken possession of his flat . Ample support cast formed by notorious secondaries such as John Glover , Sam Levene , David Margulies , Jacqueline Brookes , and Charles Napier . And brief acting from Christopher Walken , Max Wright and Mandy Patinkin . Colorful and evocative cinematography by Tak Fujimoto ; director Demme frequently uses Tak Fujimoto as his director of photography . Thrilling and intriguing musical score by the classic Miklos Rozsa in Bernard Herrmann style . The motion picture was well directed by Jonathan Demme who was voted the 45th Greatest Director of all time . Here includes his ordinary touches such as characters looking directly into the camera and heavy use of steadicam interspersed with shots of hand-held shots .

Dakota Disappointingly lacklustre thriller stars Roy Scheider as an investigator targeted for death by a mysterious assailant. Janet Margolin plays the student who helps Scheider unravel the mystery. Frequently referred to as 'Hitchcockian' don't let that promise of quality fool you into thinking The Last Embrace is anywhere near the same level as a good Hitchcock movie because it isn't. Film is humourless, the performances are unmemorable & the whole thing just never catches fire in the way that distinguishes the truly gripping thriller. Miklos Rozsa's derivative Hitch-inspired score also gets tiresome pretty darn quick. I was going to give The Last Embrace three stars but seeing as it manages one exciting sequence in a climax set at Niagara Falls it can have four.

jotix100 Having watched an interesting documentary recently, "Dial H for Hitchcock", it's clear to see how Jonathan Demme was influenced by the master himself. His admiration for the master is evident, yet, in spite of everything, Mr. Demme's "Last Embrace" was a surprise nonetheless. "Last Embrace" was one of his first films and it sort of showed the trajectory of Jonathan Demme as a film director would follow. If you haven't seen the film, please stop reading here.When Harry Hannan's wife is tragically killed, his life begins to unravel. Harry spends some time in a sanatorium trying to get himself together. Unfortunately, whoever wanted him put away is still much in evidence as his presence is felt right at the station where Harry is trying to board the train back home to Manhattan.Harry is taken aback to find Ellie living in his apartment, something he had no idea was happening. It's only fitting with films of this genre that Harry will fall for the beautiful young woman who apparently seems to be trying to help him solve the puzzle about a cryptic death threat he has received at home.Harry with the help of Sam Urdell, starts investigating about the meaning of the strange message he got. Urdell's connection within the Jewish community also unravels another conspiracy that Harry knew nothing about. The final episode involves going through the tunnels where visitors must enter in order to see real close the Falls at Niagara. Even before that there's also a great scene involving Harry's former brother-in-law in a tower at Princeton, which kept reminding us of "Vertigo".Roy Scheider makes an intense Harry. In fact, Mr. Scheider at the time this film was made, was at the height of his career and he clearly shows why he was an excellent actor. The beautiful Janet Margolin plays Ellie, a woman who is too good to be true when we first meet her, but we have no clue as to what she is capable of doing. The great Sam Levene is seen as Sam Urdell, who befriends Harry and is instrumental in getting to the bottom of this mystery. In supporting roles some familiar faces who went to do much better work later. Christopher Walken, Mandy Patinkin, Jacqueline Brookes, Marcia Rodd, Charles Napier, among others are seen in the film.Jonathan Demme proved he was a talent that would go to bigger and better things even then.

sol ****SPOILERS**** Hitchcock-type thriller that is in a lot of ways as good or even, shall I dare say it, better then most of the classic thrillers directed by that legendary film maker. Gripping from start to finish "Last Embrace" is one of those forgotten films by the movie-going public that over the years, since it's release back in 1979, that when re-discovered it has the Hitchcock thrillers compared to it instead of the other way around. Surviving an assassination attempt that took his wife's Dorothy, Sandy McLoad, life government agent Harry Hannan, Roy Scheider, suffered a nervous breakdown from holding himself responsible for his wife's death by taking her to the restaurant where she was killed. Harry ends up being hospitalized for over three months in a Connecticut sanitarium. Harry needs to get back to work to get his life together again and be normal but the head of the agency that Harry works for Mr. Eckert, Christopher Walken, has doubts about Harry's ability to do his job. Later Mr.Eckart comes to the conclusion to terminate Harrys services as well as Harry himself. The movie "Last Embrace" is much deeper and more interesting then you at first would have thought. Harry is being shadowed by an unseen killer who already murdered five people, a sixth person is later murdered in a Niagara Falls hotel. The only connection that the victims have with each other is a chilling note that they, including Harry, received written in ancient Hebrew and Aramaic. With a quote from the book of Deuteronomy stating "Avenger of the Blood". Based on the Murrary Teigh Bloom novel thriller "The 13th Man" the film "Last Embrace" is a well thought out story that keeps you guessing to just where it's taking you until the very end. It's then where all at once you begin to realize all the clues that you, and Harry, missed that were right in front of you. But are so well hidden it would have taken a Det.Columbo or Sherlock Holmes to spot them. Roy Scheider gives one of his best performances as the troubled and guilt-ridden Harry Hannan. The beautiful Janet Margolin was never better as Ellie Fabian the young women with a past and secret that was the key to what was the real reason behind all those shocking and ritualistic-like murders in the movie. The late Sam Levene, in what I think was his last film, was very effective as the private detective Sam Urdell working for a Jewish group who were concerned about the murders and the connection that they had to a deadly and mysterious Hebrew death threat. As well as all of the murder victims being Jewish.The ending of the movie is a real shocker even though by that time you have an idea of just what it's going to be. "Last Embrace" is easily one of the best thrillers of the 1970's 80's 90's or of any other decade of great movie thrillers that you can think of and undoubtedly one of the ten best of all times. The film has so many memorable scenes in it that it's hard to pick which one was the best. The two that I especially liked are first the one where Harry has a shoot-out with Dave Quittle,Charles Napler, his wife Dorothy's brother who was sent by Eckert to kill Harry at a Princeton NJ bell tower Where Dave ends up not only dead but stone deaf as well. And of course the final scene between Harry and Ellie at Niagara Falls that even the great Alfred Hitchcock would have been proud of making.