Rating: 
Summary: A film with tension & suspense building every moment
Review: Bruce Dern at his unhinged psychotic best as a vietinam vet who takes part in a insane plot with palestian terroists to murder 80,000 innocent people during the super bowl. Robert Shaw plays David Kabokov, an isreail commando out to foil the plot. Dern`s killer smile and outright dangerous mind is very memorable especally in one scene where he kills an innocent man while testing his bomb which is compiled of 120,000 lethal darts he plans to use during the super bowl. The only flaw in the film i saw was the editing, if the producers would of shortend the film`s length about twenty minutes or so it would of not been so prolonging. But this film certainley ranks high up there with other terroirst films. And Robert Shaw`s performance here outmatches his hideous performence in `Jaws`
Rating: 
Summary: Fine film and great DVD transfer
Review: Contrary to prior reviews, this is not Frankenheimer's last good film (check Andersonville 1996), nor is the video quality shabby- its actually a perfect 2.35 transfer, crisp video and good sound. Excellent film, believable plot, Robert Shaw is great, so is Bruce Dern and Martha Keller, what else is there to say- this is probably the best action espionage film of the 1970's and 1980's.
Rating:
Summary: Long live Israel! (Thanks to the bad guys)
Review: Featuring possibly the longest fuse in cinema history. With terrorists like these, Zionists can rest easy in their beds.
Rating: 
Summary: What if a blimb with a bomb showed up at the Super Bowl?
Review: For years the 1977 film "Black Sunday" was seen as being prophetic with regards to Super Bowl Sunday becoming a national obsession. But twenty-five years later it is the element of the terrorist attack that is seen as being prescient. If anything the story of this film is more powerful today, even if the special effects are less than special, even by the standard of the times.The story is based on the novel by Thomas Harris, his first work, now note worthy because it is the author's only work not involving Hannibal Lecter. Mike Lander (Bruce Dern) is a psychotic Vietnam vet who spent six years being tortured as a POW and who now joins up with Dahlia Iyad (Marthe Keller), a member of the Palestinian terrorist organization Black September in a plan to detonate a bomb at the Super Bowl. If for some reason you have never seen the film the poster art of a dirigible appearing over the top of the football stadium gives away how they plan to accomplish this task. Because a Palestinian is involved the person trying to stop the plot is Israeli agent David Kabokov (Robert Shaw), who knows full well the dangers of trying to stop people who are willing to die to accomplish their goal. He is also a man tired of living in a world where nothing ever changes and all the deaths he has seen and caused mean nothing. The hero and villain are men twisted by their lives in different directions and it is these characters that try to make "Black Sunday" more than thriller and it is their personal conflict that helps to sustain the film when we get to the big finish and things go a bit over the top. But up to that point it is a pretty solid thriller. The film is directed by John Frankenheimer, who already had life imitate art with "The Manchurian Candidate," which was shelved for decades following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Frankenheimer was pretty good at establishing tension and milking the dramatic moments of the film. The music is by John Williams, two years after "Jaws" at that point in his distinguished career. The game being played in the film is Superbowl X, where the Pittsburgh Steeler beat the Dallas Cowboys 21-17 (the blimp scene was filmed at the Orange Bowl the day before the game). One special treat of this film is that "The Star Spangled Banner" before the game was sung by Tom Sullivan (accompanied by Up With People), and whose memorable final high note is preserved for posterity. Appearing as themselves in the film are broadcasters Pat Summerall and Tommy Brookshier, and you will recognize Terry Bradshaw and some other players from both teams. Then there is Miami Dolphins' owner Joe Robbie who gets to speak the immortal line: "Cancel the Super Bowl? That's like canceling Christmas!"
Rating:
Summary: What if a blimb with a bomb showed up at the Super Bowl?
Review: For years the 1977 film "Black Sunday" was seen as being prophetic with regards to Super Bowl Sunday becoming a national obsession. But twenty-five years later it is the element of the terrorist attack that is seen as being prescient. If anything the story of this film is more powerful today, even if the special effects are less than special, even by the standard of the times. The story is based on the novel by Thomas Harris, his first work, now note worthy because it is the author's only work not involving Hannibal Lecter. Mike Lander (Bruce Dern) is a psychotic Vietnam vet who spent six years being tortured as a POW and who now joins up with Dahlia Iyad (Marthe Keller), a member of the Palestinian terrorist organization Black September in a plan to detonate a bomb at the Super Bowl. If for some reason you have never seen the film the poster art of a dirigible appearing over the top of the football stadium gives away how they plan to accomplish this task. Because a Palestinian is involved the person trying to stop the plot is Israeli agent David Kabokov (Robert Shaw), who knows full well the dangers of trying to stop people who are willing to die to accomplish their goal. He is also a man tired of living in a world where nothing ever changes and all the deaths he has seen and caused mean nothing. The hero and villain are men twisted by their lives in different directions and it is these characters that try to make "Black Sunday" more than thriller and it is their personal conflict that helps to sustain the film when we get to the big finish and things go a bit over the top. But up to that point it is a pretty solid thriller. The film is directed by John Frankenheimer, who already had life imitate art with "The Manchurian Candidate," which was shelved for decades following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Frankenheimer was pretty good at establishing tension and milking the dramatic moments of the film. The music is by John Williams, two years after "Jaws" at that point in his distinguished career. The game being played in the film is Superbowl X, where the Pittsburgh Steeler beat the Dallas Cowboys 21-17 (the blimp scene was filmed at the Orange Bowl the day before the game). One special treat of this film is that "The Star Spangled Banner" before the game was sung by Tom Sullivan (accompanied by Up With People), and whose memorable final high note is preserved for posterity. Appearing as themselves in the film are broadcasters Pat Summerall and Tommy Brookshier, and you will recognize Terry Bradshaw and some other players from both teams. Then there is Miami Dolphins' owner Joe Robbie who gets to speak the immortal line: "Cancel the Super Bowl? That's like canceling Christmas!"
Rating:
Summary: Way better than The Sum of All Fears
Review: I agree with others that this is a timely film, reaching beyond the era it was made. It's a much more realistic scenario than the fantasy Jack Ryan disappointment, The Sum of All Fears. Did anyone else shake their heads at why Hollywood decided to change the villains from the Tom Clancy novel, making them into easily-hated neo-Nazis? An attempt at political correctness, perhaps, a soothing of ruffled feathers, an attempt to downplay the reality of Arab terrorism.
This film deals with the reality, folks. There is still Palestinian hatred for the U.S. Anyone forget the dancing in Palestinian streets on 9/11? Arab sympathy for the Palestinians, real or a pretext, is part of what fuels groups like Al Quaeda. Resentment over U.S. support for Israel is a big reason for targeting the U.S.
That aside, the script, acting and action sequences in this movie are all excellent. It never loses its dramatic tension. Robert Shaw is great as the counter-terrorism expert on the tail of the PLO-types. Bruce Dern is brilliant as the insane Vietnam Vet driven to support a destructive cause because of his own pain.
Rating: 
Summary: Another cheap political propaganda movie.
Review: I don't know why a writer took the time to write this movie. Why take the art of movie making for a different purpose. This is a typical cold war movie of the 70's. Like the ones against the japaneses, germans, rusians, native americans, or palestinians in this case. Make yourself a favor and take the money for a better movie like Saving Private Ryan, Platoon, or Schindler's List, that are inteligent movies, and not cheap propaganda. Antonio Zuluaga.
Rating:
Summary: Prophetic Thriller Rides High
Review: I remember after this film was first released in the Seventies speaking with someone who saw it, and though they liked it, found it unbelievable. "I just don't picture a bunch of terrorists being able to come over to the US and get away with anything" the person said. Time has shown us how right director John Frankenheimer's film "Black Sunday" was, and that we truly lived in a "sleeping America". From the almost documentary-like opening title sequence, devoid of music and replete with the sounds of a foreign land, this suspense epic builds slowly and with unique conviction. The terrorists are all played realistically and no one goes overboard into the realm of ham. Shaw is gritty and and steel-eyed as he works against the clock to stop the plot. Bruce Dern plays an ex-Vietnam helicopter vet hired by the terrorists to aid them in their plot to explode a uniquely devasting bomb at the Super Bowl. He is at his psychotic best, and one scene, late in the film, is particularly intense as we watch him break down before the camera and reveal just how deeply distrubed he truly is. The score by John Williams is one of his best, using a simple 8 note motif that is introduced early in the film with piano and flute, and by the film's climax, is heard in thudering orchestral glory. This is suspense thriller with a brain, so don't expect wild action from scene one. It builds slowly, with sporadic action scenes interspersed, as it aims toward it's climx at the big game. Ironically, the film's achilles heel are it's special effects near the film's end. Cinematographer John Alonzo was alowed to handle the effects shots and later, the director had to redo most of them at the last minute. The result is that by today's standards, the film falls short of being totally convincing in several scenes. Nevertheless, the editing is wonderful, the score huge, the acting great, and the story intriguing. It more than makes up for a few of those shots. Seekers of intelligent thrillers will not be let down. Sunday will never be the same.
Rating:
Summary: John Frankenheimer's Last Hurrah
Review: I saw John Frankenheimer's "Black Sunday" when I was a big fan of Bruce Dern. "Black Sunday" is Frankenheimer's last memorable movie. Palestinian terrorist Marthe Keller conspires with mentally ill Vietnam veteran Bruce Dern in a plot to detonate a dart-firing blimp over the Super Bowl. Israeli agent Robert Shaw is out to stop them. "Black Sunday" is John Frankenheimer's last unforgettable movie. Although not up to Frankheimer's previous masterpieces("The Manchurian Candidate," "Seven Days In May," and "Birdman Of Alcatraz"), "Black Sunday" is still an intelligent and thrilling action movie. The movie features great performances from two of cinema's more underrated actors: Robert Shaw and Bruce Dern. Robert Shaw is great as Kabakov. I'm only sorry that Shaw never became a superstar and that he died at such a fairly young age. Bruce Dern gives the greatest performance of his career. He steals the show as the angry and confused Michael Lander. Dern takes a villain like Lander and almost has viewers rooting for him. I'm also sorry that Dern's talents haven't been put to better use in recent years. The last several minutes of the film are breathtaking. "Black Sunday" is exciting from start to finish. The film is far more entertaining than any of the action movies of today. Like Brian DePalma, John Frankenheimer is a once magnificent director who forgot how to make great movies. After the 1960s, Frankenheimer hasn't made one genuine masterpiece. His recent film "Ronin" is just another plastic Hollywood action movie and doesn't come close to being even as good as "Black Sunday." "Black Sunday" is well-recommended. This film is for fans of John Frankenheimer, Robert Shaw, and Bruce Dern, as well as anyone who loves action movies.
Rating:
Summary: John Frankenheimer's Last Hurrah
Review: I saw John Frankenheimer's "Black Sunday" when I was a big fan of Bruce Dern. "Black Sunday" is Frankenheimer's last memorable movie. Palestinian terrorist Marthe Keller conspires with mentally ill Vietnam veteran Bruce Dern in a plot to detonate a dart-firing blimp over the Super Bowl. Israeli agent Robert Shaw is out to stop them. "Black Sunday" is John Frankenheimer's last unforgettable movie. Although not up to Frankheimer's previous masterpieces("The Manchurian Candidate," "Seven Days In May," and "Birdman Of Alcatraz"), "Black Sunday" is still an intelligent and thrilling action movie. The movie features great performances from two of cinema's more underrated actors: Robert Shaw and Bruce Dern. Robert Shaw is great as Kabakov. I'm only sorry that Shaw never became a superstar and that he died at such a fairly young age. Bruce Dern gives the greatest performance of his career. He steals the show as the angry and confused Michael Lander. Dern takes a villain like Lander and almost has viewers rooting for him. I'm also sorry that Dern's talents haven't been put to better use in recent years. The last several minutes of the film are breathtaking. "Black Sunday" is exciting from start to finish. The film is far more entertaining than any of the action movies of today. Like Brian DePalma, John Frankenheimer is a once magnificent director who forgot how to make great movies. After the 1960s, Frankenheimer hasn't made one genuine masterpiece. His recent film "Ronin" is just another plastic Hollywood action movie and doesn't come close to being even as good as "Black Sunday." "Black Sunday" is well-recommended. This film is for fans of John Frankenheimer, Robert Shaw, and Bruce Dern, as well as anyone who loves action movies.
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