Colibel Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

GazerRise Fantastic!

Helloturia I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

moonspinner55 Patricia Neal always brings two attributes to her film performances: honesty and integrity--both of which work wonders for this derivative, somewhat moldy tale of a spinster, living under the thumb of her half-blind adoptive mother, who blossoms in love and independence with a 20-year-old handyman in rural England. The film, sort of a character study-cum-suspense melodrama, isn't an attractive showcase for Neal, yet she gives the scenario a hearty touch and her unmistakable stamp of dry wit. Neal's then-husband Roald Dahl adapted his screenplay from Joy Cowley's novel "Nest in a Falling Tree", pushing some of the kinkier aspects of the plot a bit far for a blue-haired thriller. Nevertheless, a visually perceptive and intriguing little movie that almost stays the course until the final act, which comes completely apart. Released under two different titles (also "The Road Builder"), though barely seen by anybody until the advent of cable movie channels. ** from ****

The_Void The Road Builder is sadly not very well known, and that's a shame because this psychological thriller is a real gem and would certainly benefit from being more widely seen. The film is based on a book by Joy Cowley, although there were apparently some changes made to the story (I don't know what since I've not read the book). One of the more surprising things about this film is the fact that the screenplay was written by popular children's author Roald Dahl, although clearly he did also have a taste for the macabre if Tales of the Unexpected as well as his children's book 'The Witches' are anything to go by. The film is a strange love story at heart and we focus on a house inhabited by an old spinster and her middle aged daughter Maura. Their lives are changed one day when a young stranger on a motorbike turns up and they agree to let him stay. The young man becomes a popular figure in the house rather quickly, especially with Maura. However, there's something strange about him as evidenced by his sudden bursts of depression, apparently owing to the tragic death of his parents.Most of the plot takes place in a grandiose mansion and it makes for a really good location for the movie - it's very isolated and is nice to look at. The atmosphere is very good throughout and this excellently compliments the plot which is thoroughly dark and largely unpleasant. The plot doesn't move particularly quickly, but it's always interesting thanks to the way that the characters are built up progressively and director Alastair Reid focuses on their relationship with one another. The acting is very good and the film stars Roald Dahl's then wife Patricia Neal in the lead role. She gets on well with the other two main players, Pamela Brown and Nicholas Clay and these actors help to ensure that the film works well. There's not a great deal of shocking moments, but the way that the unpleasant happenings are handled works very well as it's nasty yet completely believable. It all boils down to a very good ending and The Road Builder is certainly a film with a 'sting in the tail'. Overall, I really hope this gets a decent release soon because it's a great thriller and well worth seeing!

Coventry Small spoilers....I saw this movie under the title : the Road Builder. Only that title alone sounded interesting to me. I got especially interested when I learned that the screenplay was written by Roald Dahl. We all know that he wrote some remarkable stories, but most his most memorable work in the field of children's literature. The screenplay of The Road Builder isn't really meant for a young audience...It's a dark story and really creepy from time to time. It's very psychological and therefore difficult to follow at certain moments. I saw this gothic suspense thriller on TCM but without any subtitles. So the dialogues were hard to follow sometimes. Especially with a rather complicated story. It's about a spinster, Maura, who lives with her blind mother is a large house. Their lives change when a young handyman - named Billy - comes to live with them. Billy is charming and really helpful around the house, but he hides some terrifying secrets. It seemed that Billy faced some trauma's in his childhood years and he still hasn't put them behind him. Thus, some nights ... Billy goes out on his motorcycle to do horrible things. The developing of the story is really fascinating and also the terrific acting performances keep you close to the screen. Patricia Neal - who was married with Roald Dahl for forty years and gave him 5 children - is really outstanding in her role of shy and quiet middle-aged woman. Also the young Nicolas Clay impresses as Billy. Clay died in 2000 after a long disease. The Road Builder certainly is worth a watch when you're in the mood for seeing a scary psychological thriller or a deep character study. Just make sure there aren't too many aspects to distract you. You'll need full attention to enjoy this movie.

cartman_1337 Roald Dahl has always been a good story-teller, and this movie, for which he wrote the screenplay, is no exception. It's a macabre love story with a somewhat unexpected ending. Very good acting and story-telling. I recommend this film for all Roald Dahl fans. 7/10.