Fate Is the Hunter

Released Dec 8, 1964

1h 46m

Drama

List

40%

Tomatometer

5 Reviews

69%

Audience Score

Fewer than 50 Ratings

An airplane has crashed, causing the deaths of 53 people, but who is to blame? It's the job of Sam McBane (Glenn Ford) to find out, especially since the pilot was his good friend, and authorities believe he may have been drunk during the flight. Knowing of the pilot's exemplary World War II record, Sam goes on the search for the true culprit with the aid of the lone survivor, stewardess Martha Webster (Suzanne Pleshette), and reenacts the events of the accident.

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Liz Smith

Cosmopolitan

Despite its fizzy philosophizing about believing or disbelieving in fate, this is an exciting film.

Feb 1, 2020

Full Review

Sergio Benítez

Espinof

Not even the presence of Glenn Ford - fantastic as always - and Rod Taylor, the two main actors, manage to cheer up 106 minutes that could have been only half an hour. [Full Review in Spanish]

Aug 27, 2019

Full Review

Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

Becomes a kind of collection of moments, some listless, some sublime, in a film that actually feels startlingly contemporary.

Rated: 2.5/4

Aug 7, 2019

Full Review

Tony Mastroianni

Cleveland Press

The difficulty of the cast's job is that the series of minor situations that are important in revealing character are also very trivial and lacking in drama.

Jan 18, 2019

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

It's watchable in light of the recent mysterious disappearance of the Malaysian flight.

Rated: C+

May 31, 2014

Full Review

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nick s

Some great sets involved in the making of this movie. Good acting. Tried to be a little too philisophical which resulted in a bit of pretentious dialogue. Also quite a predictable plot. Overall it was worth watching.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/24

Full Review

Audience Member

This is really a wonderful detective story' about the cause of an airplane crash which kills 58 people. Stars Glen Ford as the Operations Manger of the Airline. One of his closest friends (Ron Taylor) was the pilot of the crashed plane. In spite of many believing it was pilot error, Ford digs deeper to find if there was another reason. Good story, fine actors and a very exciting ending. Highly recommended, but not available on Netflix You will need to buy it, but well worth the cost.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I enjoyed Ernest Gann's book. I've read it twice. Still have my 1961 first edition hardcover. The haunting, hunting fatalist theme is well crafted and from the heart. However, the screenplay and photography does not convey the power of the book. Several well known actors try to make this film tingle as the book does, but fail. Gann was so embarrassed by this motion picture experience, he disassociated himself from any royalties. In some copies of the movie, his name is removed from the credits.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

One of my all time favorite movies. Imagine a movie about character and fate. That's what "Fate Is the Hunter" is all about. A man who's true character and ability indicates that he couldn't have been the cause of a terrible and deadly airplane crash; but nobody believes it because they can't find the real cause. So, it must be pilot error; but wait what about fate? What about a confluence of circumstance that conspired to cause the plane to crash. Not one thing but several things all happening at just the wrong time to cause a tragedy that no one could have predicted. A truly fascinating and memorable examination of the randomness in life and the power of character to measure a man. See it and think about it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Not how you'd expect a crash inquiry to occur nowadays, but entertaining, even after all these years

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

An air crash blamed on pilot error, friends and surviving crew set out to establish the truth. Excellent cast.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

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Ralph Nelson

Director

Glenn Ford

Sam C. McBane

Rod Taylor

Capt. Jack Savage

Nancy Kwan

Sally Fraser

Suzanne Pleshette

Martha Webster

Jane Russell

Self

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Synopsis

An airplane has crashed, causing the deaths of 53 people, but who is to blame? It's the job of Sam McBane (Glenn Ford) to find out, especially since the pilot was his good friend, and authorities believe he may have been drunk during the flight. Knowing of the pilot's exemplary World War II record, Sam goes on the search for the true culprit with the aid of the lone survivor, stewardess Martha Webster (Suzanne Pleshette), and reenacts the events of the accident.

Director: Ralph Nelson
Producer: Aaron Rosenberg
Screenwriter: Ernest K. Gann, Harold Medford
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: 20th Century Fox
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 8, 1964, Original
Runtime: 1h 46m