Last Embrace – 1979
Director
Jonathan Demme

Writers
Murray Teigh Bloom (novel)
David Shaber (screenplay)

Cast
Roy Scheider
Janet Margolin
John Glover

Review by Wayne Malin

Jonathan Demme does Hitchcock!

Thriller involves a government agent (Roy Scheider) who has a nervous breakdown when his wife is killed in front of him and he is, partly, responsible. After 3 months he’s recovered and tries to go back to work–but the agency doesn’t want him. And it seems they’re trying to kill him. With the help of a very odd woman (Janet Margolin) he tries to find out.

Very good attempt at a Hitchcock-like thriller. It’s well directed by Demme (especially a great tracking shot at a train station), has an overstated (if good) music score, has an innocent man involved in murder, and has direct references to other Hitchcock thrillers (especially “Vertigo” and “Psycho”).

It has an excellent performance by Scheider and early small role for Christopher Walken!

But it doesn’t entirely succeed. The plot gets too convoluted for it’s own good, the Hitchcock references get tiresome and Margolin is pretty bad in a key role (though she improves towards the end). And there’s also a VERY explicit and sick sex/murder scene which is totally out of step with the rest of the picture.

Still, with those reservations, I recommend it. I give it an 8.