PlatinumRead Just so...so bad

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Leoni Haney Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Wizard-8 "Figures in a Landscape" was a major studio production, but it only got a limited and brief theatrical release stateside, and was pretty much forgotten until it was quietly released on DVD a couple of years ago. It doesn't take long to figure out why the people who held the rights to the movie had such little confidence in the movie finding an audience. I have no idea what the novel that inspired this movie is like, but in this movie, there is very little to make the 110 minute slog particularly compelling. It seems to have been designed to be relatable to any viewer from any country - the country the events of the movie take place in is anonymous, and we learn little about the backgrounds of the two protagonists. But with so little detail, there's little that makes us care about what's going on. As a result, the movie becomes quite boring and just seems to be spinning its wheels again and again. Not everything about the movie is below par, I admit. The photography is good, there are some very scenic locations, and the helicopter stunt work is exciting. But in the end, the movie can be compared to a prettily wrapped-up box that has nothing inside it when you open it.

mikey-242-435767 May contain spoilers. Read on at your own peril. But there seems to be little to spoil on this stinkburger! This film starts in the middle of some ongoing story. Apparently these people were in jail for some reason we don't know and got out of jail by some method we don't know. And then a goat herder is killed. Why? He was there.That's the perfect start to a "Modern" film. We start with nothing, are told damn little about what's going or motivation of characters or any backstory and have to figure out what went before and what is going on and why, while trying to relax and enjoy a movie. That's a lot of work! If I wanted to work, I would go to work! Who are they? Why is this happening? Where are they? Don't know. Let's hope somehow, we will find out or this will be a waste of time. 16 minutes in and... their hands are still tied and the helicopter is trying to give them haircuts. Why don't they just land? Who is in the helicopter? Why are they doing this harassment of these two people? What's this movie about? No clue yet. Stay tuned. Maybe we will find out.... Maybe.... It seems they are tied with cloth or rope why don't these two back up together and untie each other? I am thinking I am wasting my time watching this. If anything happens, I will let you know. But don't wait if you have some paint to watch drying! 30 minutes in and the plot is really taking off. They found a knife to get their hands free. That's it for now. Still waiting for something to happen...Now that their hands are free, they did what they apparently know best. Robbery. And they were seen. Not very good robbers for sure.Well, they managed to open a can (tin) and ate something and both of them shaved. Riveting stuff!! Oh, the mastery of the medium by writer and director. IS MISSING HERE? 45 minutes in and... The dizzying speed of the plot has made me hungry. I am going to eat. If anything else happens in this movie, call me. I will have my phone with me, just in case...(That sound you just heard was me pressing STOP on the player)

Coventry "Figures in a Landscape" is definitely one of the weirdest and most unclassifiable movies I've encountered lately, and at the same time it's pretty difficult to explain why that is. Some movies are weird because they increasingly overpower the viewer with substantial twists and/or stylistic gimmicks, but still they constantly uphold the impression there's some kind of deeper meaning or hidden structure behind it. The films of David Lynch are like that, for example. Other movies, and "Figures in a Landscape" is definitely one of them, are weird because they never at one point feature abrupt story twists and never even seem to want to achieve a deeper meaning. Kind of like the 'what you see is what you get principle' and don't even bother asking background information. Based on Barry England's novel - that probably only very few people have read - "Figures in a Landscape" revolves on two escaped convicts nervously running across a desolate area. Pretty much like the title implies, they are, in fact, simply figures in a landscape. We're never explained where exactly the events take place (South America? East Asia?) or what crimes the two committed in the first place. They must have been quite serious, however, as MacConnachie and Ansell quickly find themselves besieged by a menacing black helicopter and later also by army patrols on foot. The helicopter plays a devastating mental and physical game with them, as it appears to be omnipresent and in absolutely no hurry to pick them up. This is the type of film where there are no characters to root for. You won't develop any sympathy for the fugitives as they commit some truly vile acts along their way and you can't really support the guys inside the helicopter, neither, as their faces aren't even properly shown. "Figures in a Landscape" is a brooding, moody and mildly unsettling film that doesn't always makes sense and doesn't bother to involve the viewer. But, if you manage to put all the unanswered questions aside from you, this also might turn out one extremely enchanting viewing experience. Every shot, every inch of the landscape seems precisely measured and re-considered at least a dozen times before featuring in the film. The choreography is simply wonderful and the filming locations – apparently Spanish – are almost continuously breathtaking. The performances of Robert Shaw and Malcolm McDowell couldn't be more apt and Joseph Losey's direction is very surefooted. After seeing only this and the even more unique "These are the Doomed", I'm more than anxious to check out Losey's further repertoire.

Raegan Butcher FIGURES IN A LANDSCAPE is interesting for a lot of reasons: it was directed by Joseph Losey,it stars a very young Malcolm McDowell and it boasts a script by co-star Robert Shaw.The set-up is very existential: 2 men are pursued by a mysterious black helicopter over a rough, desert terrain. We never learn the reasons for any of this or even where it is taking place.The atmosphere of dread is kept at a high level thru-out.Everything about the film is as stripped to the basics as the title suggests. The men are never given much more than the briefest of backgrounds. But it is precisely this quality of mystery that gives the film its main points of interest. I would certainly like to be able to see it on a larger screen. The helicopter photography is very impressive and the shots of the two figures traversing the inhospitable terrain are striking.Robert Shaw gives a ferocious performance. Malcolm McDowell's part requires him to be more subdued but he is capable and provides the film's main sympathetic character.