The Medusa Touch

So this might be the inspiration for Shyamalan’s masterful Unbreakable. In terms of screenplay and direction, The Medusa Touch is not only an excellently escalated thriller, but also intelligent, chilling, atmospheric, disturbing and pessimistic. And thanks to Lino Ventura operating in London, it also has a nice pan-European feel. By the way, doesn’t this actor kind of look like a muscly version of Robert de Niro? :-) (09/27/2010)

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. (12/22/2008)

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. (09/21/2010)

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. (01/10/2007)

Old school. When you show a statue in the first scene, it’s obvious that in the next scene someone is going to get hit over the head with it. A horrifying jigsaw puzzle where each piece has its place and the resulting picture of ruin is soul-destroying. Richard Burton’s presence gives the key scenes the right timbre, making revelation of the victim’s past all the more powerful. Lino Ventura came across a little like a French De Niro (maybe because of the dubbing) and the role of Brunel fitted him like a glove. Most of today’s would-be mystery hybrids come nowhere near it. This was superb. (05/20/2011)

After a second viewing, it definitely deserves five stars. The Medusa Touch is an incredibly escalating film that creeps stealthily from the chilling beginning, hissing like a snake, occasionally sticking out its imaginary horns (yes, I know a snake doesn't have horns), but only attacking you with all its force in the final 20 minutes. The thrilling experience of Burton's and Ventura's performance is underlined by the essentially brilliant music, Gold's direction caters to it all and makes it TRULY one of the most thrilling films of all time. (03/21/2010)

A hugely impressive mystery that relies not only on excellent performances and music, but more importantly on thoughtful direction that gradually builds up to a chilling finale that slams the door of accumulated depression and distress in your face, leaving the freaked-out viewer in the same room with characters. The clever structure of the plot and the gradual revelation and explanation of various motifs leaves no time to breathe thanks to masterfully executed time transitions, and Jack Gold manages to keep his characteristic authorial signature despite the constant work with expectations and genre duality. Plus Richard Burton in perhaps his most iconic role, and certainly his scariest. 90% (09/22/2017)

This movie is pleasantly sinister and mysterious at the start, and then, towards the end it is very chilling and pessimistic. Richard Burton and Lino Ventura are both great and propel this forward, and they pretty much do not share any dialog on screen in the entire movie. While watching this, it is quite possible to predict where the whole thing is heading, but the entire conclusion is the most sound, astonishing, and surprising point of the movie. For the overall thickly horror atmosphere, I felt like putting it on again the day after, so why not incline towards giving this a higher rating? (04/17/2019)