La Grande Menace

Le début est agréablement inquiétant et mystérieux et mène à une fin franchement glaçante et pessimiste. Richard Burton et Lino Ventura sont tous deux d’excellentes locomotives, même s’ils n’échangent de dialogue dans pratiquement aucune scène. En regardant le film, il est globalement facile d’anticiper la direction que va prendre le tout, même si les toutes dernières minutes apportent un point final sérieusement surprenant. Rien que pour la tension générale de son ambiance horrifique, je me le repasserais bien un deuxième jour d'affilée ! Et tant qu’à faire, pourquoi ne pas lui mettre la note maximum ? (17/04/2019)

Pas étonnant que Shyamalan ait puisé son chef-d'œuvre "Incassable" de partout. Un thriller brillamment écrit et réalisé. Intelligent, glaçant, atmosphérique, troublant, pessimiste. Et grâce à Linus Ventura, qui opère à Londres, il y a en plus une agréable touche d'Europe. D'ailleurs, cet acteur ne ressemble-t-il pas à un Robert De Niro en pleine croissance ? :) (27/09/2010)

This highly intriguing genre piece, which tightly grips a crime and supernatural thriller in its pincers, is based mainly on the impressive work of an old-school French detective who uses the long conversation method to unravel the mystery of the "evil gaze," only to have his own pragmatism increasingly undermined. The anticipation of upcoming events, the excellent Lino Ventura, the demonic Richard Burton, the chilling atmosphere, and the unreal finale make this slightly forgotten work an incredible film that will definitely make you have trouble falling asleep. 4 ½. (22/12/2008)

One thing will stay with you after watching this... An unpleasantly chilling feeling of “what if, after all". The Medusa wall sculpture in the opening credits came into my childhood dreams to terrify me more than anything else. And the tension built-up in the story (the tension, WOW the tension!), the superb acting performances by all of the actors (even Burton lying in the hospital bed; that stare, THAT stare!), an interestingly approached original topic, absolutely outstanding music (the main theme, THAT theme!) and then, primarily, THAT unforgettable ending. To this day I regret that I can’t get my hands on the book that this British gem is based on. An unforgettable movie and the movie that sparked my love of cinema. Even if in quite a chilling way. P.S.: Although the dubbing is incredibly well-done, you really should watch the original English version which, with Ventura’s French accent and Burton’s somber diction, is a completely different movie. (10/01/2007)

Jack Gold's direction is as enchanting as Richard Burton's gaze. Some scenes feel completely modern, fresh and new, and the film as a whole has an incomprehensibly chilling undertone (written in the pace of storytelling and the use of details – especially in the musical component, which was stolen in vain by Zdeněk Liška in a 30 Cases of Major Zeman TV series episode The Well). Of course, it is a long ending and very strange psychology and character interaction (the two main actors essentially never meet, and most of the characters behave somewhat theatrically – but this is part of the alienation effect), in any case, The Medusa Touch is an unforgettable look into the heart of darkness. I'm just glad I didn't see this movie as a kid, as then I'd attribute it to the innermost horrors and traumas. (21/09/2010)