Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Released at the time when the PIRA were blowing innocent Brits to pieces, it is instructive to re - assess "Hennessy" at a time when Islamic extremists are blowing innocent Brits to pieces .For their potential victims,the terrifying difference between the two organisations is the care the PIRA bombers took to protect their own lives and the indifference of the Islamists towards their own lives or anybody else's.It is depressing to note that the PIRA's present "Campaign" has been going on for forty years,and although they have clearly been bribed by a craven Labour Government to adopt a less overt profile,their aim remains the same. If the Islamists operate on such a time scale - and there is evidence to suggest that their plans are even more long - term - then Brits run the risk of being blown to bits for several generations to come.In that context what can we learn from "Hennessy"? Simply that revenge is the strongest of motives,and that a man who perceives he has nothing to live for is a deadly,unstoppable enemy. And that politics makes strange bedfellows. Mr Rod Steiger plays explosives expert Hennessy,a man maddened by grief at his wife's death (albeit accidental)at the hands of Brit soldiers during street disturbances in Belfast.He plans to extract a terrible vengeance by blowing up the Royal Family at the State Opening of Parliament. Fearful of a backlash,the IRA leadership co - operate with the security forces to stop him. It is a fact universally acknowledged that no terrorist organisation can flourish without at least the tacit support of the community it sprung from.The Provisionals have significant if silent support in a large part of Belfast.Thirty years ago it was more overt and vocal.Hennessy was not a Provo or even a fellow traveller - but he knew a man who was. As the Brits and the Bhoys close in, Hennessy single - mindedly gets on with his plan.And,as we have learned to our cost,there is no defence against a man with nothing to lose. Mr Steiger has somehow gained the reputation of being a "great" actor. Well,he is certainly recognisable as an "actor",I'll say that. Give him an accent i.e. "In the heat of the night","The Pawnbroker" and he showboats quite happily.Thus in "Hennessy" he does "Belfast" pretty well and is right at home playing a broken man,but unfortunately he is never Hennessy,merely Rod Steiger playing Hennessy,a small but important distinction. As we look over our shoulders in a tabloid frenzy of suspicion and fear we reflect that the great Alf Garnet once said "You can't have a democracy without shooting a few people" and it's looking increasingly likely that he may have had a point.

Back in 1975, when this controversial political thriller was released, critics were quick to call it "implausible", "unbelievable" and "far-fetched". But since then, the western world has had a few wake-up calls. The 9/11 terrorist attacks; the Madrid bombings; hunt-campaigners breaking into Parliament and hurling powder pellets onto the Prime Minister; the suicide bombings on the London Underground.... to name but a few. In retrospect, Hennessy may have been made at a time when the top-brass of Britsh and American governments and armies thought themselves invulnerable, but looking at it from a modern perspective this is a chillingly possible tale. It is not even slightly far-fetched or implausible.... this is a genuinely unsettling, suspenseful and thought-provoking thriller.Northern Irish explosive expert Niall Hennessy (Rod Steiger) lives a peaceful life in Belfast with his wife and daughter. He has IRA contacts, including the dangerous and wanted Tobin (Eric Porter), but Hennessy repeatedly refuses to get involved in their violent activities, even refusing to provide them with small amounts of gelignite. However, one day during a street riot the British Army inadvertently open fire on the rioters, and in the confusion Hennessy's wife and child are killed. Distraught, Hennessy heads for London with the aim of revisiting his loss on the English capital. His unthinkable plot is to blow up the Royal Family and the members of parliament in the House of Peers. Fearing a backlash and an influx of extra soldiers in Belfast, Tobin sets out to stop Hennessy. Also, Special Branch detective Inspector Hollis (Richard Johnson - who also came up with the film's story) races against time to prevent Hennessy's explosive scheme.As in The Day Of The Jackal, the audience knows from the outset that Hennessy's horrifying plot is doomed to fail.... but also like The Day Of The Jackal, this film still generates terrific excitement. Hennessy, as essayed by the excellent Rod Steiger (in one of his most subtle, least hammy roles), is a very sympathetic figure and it is only because his revenge plot is so terrible that we do not want him to succeed. Hollis, the cop out to stop him, is very convincingly played by Richard Johnson, and there are further notable performances from Lee Remick as the widow of a one-time IRA saboteur and Trevor Howard as Hollis's over-confident, under-cautious superior. Director Don Sharp, whose films are usually mediocre at best, is in uncommonly good form, serving up a thriller of considerable tension and topicality. In today's vulnerable society, films of this kind remind us of the perilous position we're in at the mercy of embittered extremists.... and Hennessy is one of the best of its type.

I first saw this film at the cinema when it was released in 1975. I got the shock of my life when I saw myself in the newsreel film over the opening credits. In 1969, 1971 and 1972 I had served tours in Belfast with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, and it is film of the Winter 1971/Spring 1972 tour that opens Hennessy.The first few scenes of the street rioting, the armoured "pigs", the equipment of the squaddies and the visceral hatred shown by the rioters was scarily authentic, unfortunately the accents of some of the "Irish" characters wasn't. With such heavyweights as Rod Steiger and Trevor Howard, the film should have received more support- perhaps the distributors were concerned about the politics. A brave film for daring to confront "The Troubles" and a good "yarn" as well.

Maltin is an idiot for saying that the plot is unbelievable. It is in fact all too believable. Rod Steiger shows his versatility by playing an Irishman who impersonates an Englishman. Lee Remick is delectable as usual and English fans will applaud the inclusion of Eric Porter