The Black Windmill

PG

1974

1 hr. 46 min.

Mystery & Thriller

List

57%

7 Reviews

Tomatometer

36%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

Hated by his boss (Delphine Seyrig), estranged from his wife (Donald Pleasence), a British secret agent (Michael Caine) tries to rescue his kidnapped son.

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delysid d

micheal caine movies are seriously a mixed bag. you never know what youre in for when you watch one. this ones ok, but however a movie that only 70s addicts will enjoy. it's a spy movie about rescuing a kidnapped kid.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/17/22

Full Review

matthew d

Love these spy films with Michael Caine! Don Siegel's espionage mystery thriller The Black Windmill (1974) satisfies your curiosity with international intrigue and a fascinating spy narrative. Director Don Siegel directs a similar type of spy thriller to Michael Caine's classic 1960's Harry Palmer spy movies The Ipcress File, Funeral in Berlin, and Billion Dollar Brain. Michael Caine is fabulous as the overly composed English spy Major John Tarrant. His calm attitude and observant style makes for the ideal spy archetype like Caine's older 60's spy features. I'm always glad to watch his early films to uncover hidden gems like The Black Windmill. Donald Pleasence is excellent as the suspicious and foolish Cedric Harper, the head of England's spy forces MI6. Delphine Seyrig is lovely and fun as the femme fatale Ceil Burrows with her intriguing character and playful manner. John Vernon's McKee is a killer with his tough manner and total control. You really feel like the kids are in danger. Catherine Schell is gorgeous with her effervescent charisma and memorable appearances as Lady Melissa Julyan. Joseph O'Conor is perfectly arrogant and stuffy as the British aristocrat Sir Edward Julyan. Janet Suzman steals all her scenes as the emotional Alex Tarrant, who is in distress over her kidnapped son. She feels real and compelling next to Caine's more stoic spy. I absolutely loved The Black Windmill for Siegel's moody direction that emulates the British style and dry wit with plenty of detailed clues within writer Leigh Vance and Clive Egleton's mystery script. You're guessing until the end as you enjoy this adventure around England and France. Peter Murton's art direction will show you suburban and countryside England, then take you to Paris with a stylish atmosphere. Antony Gibbs' keeps this slow burn pace steady for 106 minutes as you wonder what The Black Windmill is and who is the mysterious villain Drabble. Ousama Rawi's cinematography is all wide shots with stunning natural beauty and piercing close-ups for emotional stings. Rawi captures England and France effortlessly, while also showing every clue for the viewer close-up so we can follow along. Don Siegel's direction is meticulous in that way. Roy Budd's moody jazz score is both enigmatic and exciting, which fits The Black Windmill's espionage and action genres. Anthony Mendleson's sleek, fashionable British attire gives the perfect elegant 70's feel. Freddie Williamson's make-up looks natural with little added touches for the lovely actresses. In all, The Black Windmill is raw 70's direction from Don Siegel with a fantastic leading man role from Michael Caine as a spy.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

If you like Caine you will love this one. Why the audience didn't like this one is beyond me. Caine's son is kidnapped and as he works for the British secret service he becomes involved in a ransom attempt on his son. The Brits won't pay up so its up to him to deliver the ransom and he tries but it is not so easy. This is a fast paced thriller which is well worth your time. Without Caine as a star this could have been just another movie about extortion.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A gripping spy thriller that rises above it's cookie cutter Hollywood form to be a much more enjoyable film than the horrible Le Carre mess "The Spy that came in From the Cold." Caine, unencumbered by the baggage Burton was carrying in the Le Carre film, whether or not to marry Elizabeth Taylor again, gives a very good performance. The film has excellent pacing, plot development, that makes at least a little sense, and fascinating cinematography.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Michael Caine isn't Harry Palmer here but this film is better than some of that other spy's vehicles. It's taut - and after some initial exposition (spoken unnaturally by the characters) - director Don Siegel keeps the plot mechanics churning. Caine is again working for MI6 with an unclear role but things come apart when his son is kidnapped and the culprits seem to know enough inside information to suggest a mole (although that term perhaps wasn't yet created by Le Carre who didn't write the source novel here). Caine is emotionless or perhaps stoic and he gets the job done, although John Vernon seems to have crafted a diabolical plan to entrap him. Even spymaster Donald Pleasance is fooled. Don't look here for deeper meanings or even the musty bureaucratic cloak and dagger dealings of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - instead this is a no frills British action film with well-oiled gears courtesy of American Siegel.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Don Siegel's British Dirty Harry is uneven but interesting. Now it looks like a fascinating period piece, with troubled gender politics, sleaze, survelliance and corruption everywhere. Some great locations, giving texture to a pretty improbable plot.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

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Don Siegel

Director

Michael Caine

Maj. John Tarrant

Donald Pleasence

Cedric Harper

Delphine Seyrig

Ceil Burrows

Clive Revill

Alf Chestermann

John Vernon

McKee

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Penelope Gilliatt

New Yorker

The film is full of set pieces that are nearly up to 007 at his groomed best, except that Michael Cain is no mere gamesman at showing off. He makes peril seem real.

Mar 6, 2024

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

The Black Windmill commits the one crime no thriller can be pardoned for. It's not thrilling. It's also terribly passive and static, and Siegel directs Caine almost to a standstill.

Rated: 2/4

Jul 10, 2018

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

...a rewarding watch for fans of Michael Caine, and director Don Siegel...

Rated: 4/5

Mar 31, 2021

Full Review

Rob Aldam

Backseat Mafia

Caine, as usual, eats up every scene and the writing cleverly serves up a number of red herrings.

Mar 24, 2021

Full Review

Dick Lochte

Los Angeles Free Press

The Black Windmill finds its producer-director Don Siegel invading Hitchcock territory. He'd have been better off staying at home.

Dec 13, 2019

Full Review

Raquel Stecher

Out of the Past

The Black Windmill suffers from a lack of real tension and a convoluted plot.

Jan 4, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

Hated by his boss (Delphine Seyrig), estranged from his wife (Donald Pleasence), a British secret agent (Michael Caine) tries to rescue his kidnapped son.

Director: Don Siegel
Screenwriter: Leigh Vance
Production Co: Universal/Universal Int
Rating: PG
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English