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Bear Island

Play trailer Poster for Bear Island PG 1979 1h 58m Action Adventure Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 1 Reviews 32% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
An American (Donald Sutherland) and a Norwegian (Vanessa Redgrave) fall prey to an ex-Nazi (Richard Widmark) seeking gold from a U-boat in the Arctic.

Critics Reviews

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Eddie Harrison film-authority.com …While not as iconic as Ice Station Zebra, Bear Island is one of the last good MacLean adaptations and the top-notch cast keep things watchable to the bitter end… Rated: 3/5 Mar 10, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (11) audience reviews
kevin w Scientists gather on a remote frosty isle in the North Atlantic to discuss climate change - only it just so happens that the Nazis used that same island as a submarine station back during the war. And there are Nazi submarines still hidden there. And on one of those subs: a secret stash of, what else, stolen Nazi gold. And so part Arctic tour, part action thriller, and part espionage tangle. It's got everything. A cast of name faces helps to sell the effort, and it's decent enough, but slow pacing keeps it from being a keeper. And minute after minute of repetitive snowmobile chases that seemingly go nowhere. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member It's another one of those movie I wached as a child and loved,I found an old VHS copy at a local charity shop and once home I put i on and I've got to say still enjoyed. Great thriller/action movie that still holds up today. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Burning hot cast, Vanessa Redgrave , Lloyd Bridges , Christopher Lee , among other stars, Redgrave's accent is dire, The story is based on Maclean novel, but differs greatly, The plot at times is confusing, but it's a not a bad spy thriller, set in lovely scenery, but far from a classic by any means. The story is basically, A UN expedition of scientists from different countries come to the barren arctic Bear Island, between Svalbard and northern Norway, to study climate change. However, several of them turn out to be more interested in the fact that there is Gold in one of the submarines than studying climate change, during all of this a number of deaths and accidents occur. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Typical Alastair Maclean sleight of hand and red herrings leaving the viewer guessing which side each character is on to the end. The film has worn reasonably well though the music soundtrack is grating and over the top. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member increadible story but hmmmm maybe someone else should have prduced this film!. But even one of my fav films Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member Why it says made in 2000 I dont know, in reality it was made in 1979. A typical 70's action thriller, mostly made on location. It brings far too much accidental humour, with stereotype characters, hammy acting with equally hammy script, but it is quite enjoyable. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Bear Island

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis An American (Donald Sutherland) and a Norwegian (Vanessa Redgrave) fall prey to an ex-Nazi (Richard Widmark) seeking gold from a U-boat in the Arctic.
Director
Don Sharp
Producer
Peter Snell
Screenwriter
David Butler, Don Sharp
Production Co
Columbia Pictures, Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC)
Rating
PG
Genre
Action, Adventure, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
British English
Runtime
1h 58m
Sound Mix
Surround