Customer Reviews

The Alamut Ambush

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THE ALAMUT AMBUSH (1986) Directed by Ken Grieve. Based on the novel by Anthony Price.

Starring Terence Stamp, Michael Culver and Rosalie Crutchley.

After an anti-semetic undersecretary for the Middle East's auto is blown up, a specialist on the region, James Audley, is brought in by the British Secret Service to discover what is going on before the next attempt is successful. However when Audley discovers the existence of a Muslim terrorist with a massive organization of loosely connected semi independent cells about to initiate a bloodbath throughout the Middle East, things become complicated.

A British telefilm that is intelligent, informed and, while not history, is of history. The film's take on the Middle East is realistic and the plot is not at all predictable. The acting...especially Stamp..is very good as is the direction. The transfer to the Dvd leaves something to be desired but does not hurt the viewing experience. Apparently this was the first in a short lived film series featuring Stamp as Audley who, in turn, was a character in a long running series of spy novels.

Besides being a solid pseudo historical espionage melodrama and made years before the ban on portraying Muslim terrorists in movies took effect, this film's depiction of an Al Qeada like organization led by an Osama Bin Ladin like leader years before the reality gives this picture a certain jolt that it might not have otherwise had. Even though made over twenty years ago, it "speaks" to today in a way modern films seem afraid of doing.

A solid satisfying production.

Recommended.

This is a thoroughly old-fashioned film derived from the Anthony Price novel of the same title, which was, goodness knows, complicated enough to sort out. The film does not entirely succeed in clarifying the plot, even with a good cast working hard at it. It would be an enjoyable experience nonetheless, were it not that the Osiris Entertainment copy is quite appalling. The visuals are garish, badly reproduced, the color sometimes going a liverish dark brown or pink and completely blotting out expressions on faces. As for the soundtrack, it is practically inaudible so that an already complex plot is made virtually incomprehensible by the low level audio. Swathes of low-key conversation are impossible to decipher. Avoid buying this product at all costs. The production is a disgrace.