Journey Into Fear (1975)

An American geologist (Sam Waterston) working in Turkey discovers a major oil deposit in the mountains. But after several attempts are made on his life, it becomes clear someone wants this information withheld. On a dilapidated boat sailing from Turkey to Italy, the geologist's fellow passengers are a suspicious lot and he suspects one of them is an assassin. But which one? Based on the novel by Eric Ambler (previously made into a 1943 film) and directed by Daniel Mann (THE ROSE TATTOO). An incoherent international thriller that benefits from its attractive Turkish and Greek locations although the interiors were filmed in Canada. The 1943 version which had a script by Orson Welles, who played the Colonel Haki role (played here by Joseph Wiseman), was pretty much a mess too although that may have been due to studio interference. For the longest time, we're kept in the dark about why Waterston's character is being chased but by the time we find out, we don't much care anymore. Even the normally reliable Alex North can only give us a generic action score way below his standards. The large cast includes Shelley Winters (wasted), Vincent Price (who has a spectacular death), Zero Mostel (overacting shamelessly), Yvette Mimieux, Donald Pleasence, Ian McShane, Stanley Holloway and Jackie Cooper, who is credited but his part seems to have ended up on the cutting room floor.