The Naked Face (film)

Last updated
The Naked Face
Naked Face.jpg
Movie Poster
Directed by Bryan Forbes
Screenplay byBryan Forbes
Based on The Naked Face by
Sidney Sheldon
Produced by Yoram Globus
Menahem Golan
Rony Yacov
Starring Roger Moore
Rod Steiger
Elliott Gould
Cinematography David Gurfinkel
Music by Michael J. Lewis
Distributed by The Cannon Group
Release date
  • June 13, 1984 (1984-06-13)(U.S.)
Running time
103 min.
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Naked Face is a 1984 American thriller film written and directed by Bryan Forbes, based on the book of the same name by Sidney Sheldon. It stars Roger Moore, Rod Steiger and Elliott Gould. [1]

Contents

It was nominated for "Best Film" at Mystfest, a film festival. [2]

Plot

A patient of Chicago psychoanalyst Dr. Judd Stevens is murdered after a session, stabbed while wearing a raincoat belonging to the doctor. Police detectives McGreavy and Angeli investigate. McGreavy bitterly resents the doctor from a previous case in which Stevens' testimony led to a cop killer being institutionalized rather than sent to prison.

The patient's personal problems are in question until Stevens' secretary is also found brutally murdered. Stevens realizes he is the murderer's target, while the two detectives treat him as their prime suspect.

A widower, Stevens expresses concern to his physician brother-in-law about the cops' behavior. McGreavy in particular is so aggressive in his interrogations, Angeli reports him to a superior and gets McGreavy thrown off the case.

Posing as doormen, two armed gunmen break into Stevens' apartment. He holds them off until the brother-in-law and two paramedics arrive. Not trusting the cops, Stevens instead made an emergency call to the hospital for help.

Choosing a name out of the Yellow Pages at random, Stevens hires an old, quirky private investigator named Morgens who lives in a rundown apartment filled with clocks and cats. Morgens saves his life by finding a bomb planted in Stevens' car. After he reports this latest attempt on his life, Angeli promises to lend Stevens a more sympathetic ear than his partner had. McGreavy, however, has secretly cut a deal with their captain to keep an eye on the case from a distance.

One evening, Morgens phones Stevens and claims to know the killer's true identity, but refuses to reveal it over the phone because nobody can be trusted, not even the police. He tells Stevens to meet him after midnight at the Navy Pier and mentions the name "Don Vinton." But when Stevens and Angeli arrive, they find the murdered body of Morgens, holding a cuckoo clock.

After doing some research, Stevens realizes that Don Vinton is an Italian code name for the head of an organized crime syndicate. Offering to hide Stevens in a safe house, Angeli instead drives him to a countryside mansion where the phony doormen appear. Angeli draws a gun but points it at Stevens, telling him he trusted the wrong cop.

Stevens is taken to a crime boss, discovering that the mobster's wife is Ann Blake, a quiet woman who has been seeing Stevens as a patient. Don Vinton feels he simply can't have anyone knowing his private business, despite the fact that Ann told the psychiatrist practically nothing during their sessions.

Stevens is taken to a warehouse to be done away with permanently. Angeli, expecting a payoff, is killed instead. Stevens tries to escape but is quickly re-captured, then beaten savagely by the crime boss until McGreavy and a team of cops arrive just in time, having been called by Ann. Don Vinton is killed and the rest of his men are arrested.

At a cemetery where Stevens goes to visit his wife's grave once a week, Ann Blake turns up to apologize for causing Stevens all this trouble at the cost of so many lives. He has quit his private practice, so she asks if that means he can see a former patient socially. It does and they begin to leave the cemetery together, but Ann is shot and killed by a mob sniper.

Cast

ActorRole
Roger Moore Dr. Judd Stevens
Rod Steiger Lieutenant McGreavy
Elliott Gould Detective Angeli
Art Carney Morgens
Anne Archer Ann Blake
David Hedison Dr. Peter Hadley
Deanna Dunagan Mrs. Hadley
Ron Parady Cortini
John Kapelos Frank

Production

Though the film was produced and released in 1984, Sidney Sheldon wrote its source novel in 1970, before psychological profiling became a widely accepted method of forensic crime-fighting work.

Bryan Forbes said the film "was a nightmare from beginning to end." [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Beverly Hills Cop</i> 1984 film directed by Martin Brest

Beverly Hills Cop is a 1984 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Martin Brest, with a screenplay by Daniel Petrie Jr., and story by Danilo Bach and Daniel Petrie Jr. It stars Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, a street-smart Detroit detective who visits Beverly Hills, California, to solve the murder of his best friend. Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Ronny Cox, Lisa Eilbacher, Steven Berkoff, Paul Reiser, and Jonathan Banks appear in supporting roles.

<i>Tequila Sunrise</i> (film) 1988 film by Robert Towne

Tequila Sunrise is a 1988 American romantic crime film written and directed by Robert Towne, and starring Mel Gibson, Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell, with Raul Julia, J. T. Walsh, Arliss Howard and Gabriel Damon in supporting roles. The film's original music score was composed by Dave Grusin.

<i>The Naked Face</i> 1970 novel by Sidney Sheldon

The Naked Face is the first novel (1970) written by Sidney Sheldon. It was nominated by the Mystery Writers of America for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel by an American author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryan Forbes</span> English film director, screenwriter and actor (1926–2013)

Bryan Forbes CBE was an English film director, screenwriter, film producer, actor and novelist described as a "Renaissance man" and "one of the most important figures in the British film industry".

<i>If Tomorrow Comes</i> (novel) Novel by Sidney Sheldon

If Tomorrow Comes is a 1985 crime fiction novel by American author Sidney Sheldon. It is a story portraying an ordinary woman who is framed by the Mafia, her subsequent quest for vengeance towards them and her later life as a con artist. The novel was adapted into a three-part TV miniseries with the same name in 1986, starring Madolyn Smith and Tom Berenger.

<i>The Angry Silence</i> 1960 British film by Guy Green

The Angry Silence is a 1960 black-and-white British drama film directed by Guy Green and starring Richard Attenborough, Pier Angeli, Michael Craig and Bernard Lee.

"Guy Walks into a Psychiatrist's Office..." is the 14th episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos and the first of the show's second season. Written by Jason Cahill and directed by Allen Coulter, it originally aired on January 16, 2000.

<i>The Saint in Palm Springs</i> 1941 film by Jack Hively

The Saint in Palm Springs is a 1941 American mystery crime film directed by Jack Hively and starring George Sanders, Wendy Barrie and Jonathan Hale. It was produced and released by Hollywood studio RKO Pictures. The film continued the screen adventures of the Robin Hood-inspired anti-hero, Simon Templar, alias "The Saint", created by Leslie Charteris. This sequel was based upon a story by Charteris; however, many changes to his concept were made. Charteris later novelised his version of the film story as the novella "Palm Springs", contained within the 1942 collection The Saint Goes West. This was the sixth of eight in RKO's film series about The Saint.

<i>The Green Man</i> (film) 1956 British comedy film by Robert Day

The Green Man is a 1956 black and white British black comedy film directed by Robert Day and starring Alastair Sim, George Cole, Terry-Thomas and Jill Adams. The screenplay was by Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat, based on the play Meet a Body.

<i>Cop Hater</i> 1956 novel by Ed McBain

Cop Hater (1956) is the first 87th Precinct police procedural novel by Ed McBain. The murder of three detectives in quick succession in the 87th Precinct leads Detective Steve Carella on a search that takes him into the city's underworld and ultimately to a .45 automatic aimed straight at his head.

<i>Baby Face Nelson</i> (1957 film) 1957 film by Don Siegel

Baby Face Nelson is a 1957 American film noir crime film based on the real-life 1930s gangster, directed by Don Siegel, co-written by Daniel Mainwaring—who also wrote the screenplay for Siegel's 1956 sci-fi thriller Invasion of the Body Snatchers—and starring Mickey Rooney, Carolyn Jones, Cedric Hardwicke, Leo Gordon as Dillinger, Anthony Caruso, Jack Elam, John Hoyt and Elisha Cook Jr.

<i>Slaughter</i> (1972 film) 1972 film by Jack Starrett

Slaughter is a 1972 blaxploitation film directed by Jack Starrett and starring Jim Brown as a former Green Beret captain seeking revenge for a murder. Stella Stevens, Rip Torn, Don Gordon and Cameron Mitchell co-star. This film was followed by a sequel the following year, Slaughter's Big Rip-Off (1973).

<i>Eyewitness</i> (1970 film) 1970 British film by John Hough

Eyewitness is a 1970 British thriller film directed by John Hough and starring Mark Lester, Susan George and Lionel Jeffries. Its plot follows a young English boy who, while staying with his grandfather and adult sister in Malta, witnesses a political assassination, and is subsequently pursued by the killers—however, due to his habitual lying, those around him are hesitant to believe his claims. It is an adaptation of the novel by Mark Hebden, the pen name for John Harris, and bears similarity to Cornell Woolrich's novelette "The Boy Cried Murder", originally adapted for film as The Window.

<i>The Get-Away</i> (1941 film) 1941 film by Edward Buzzell

The Get-Away is a 1941 American crime drama film directed by Edward Buzzell and starring Robert Sterling, Charles Winninger and Donna Reed. Produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it is a remake of the 1935 film Public Hero No. 1. It has been listed as a precursor of film noir.

<i>The Squeaker</i> (1937 film) 1937 film

The Squeaker is a 1937 British crime film directed by William K. Howard and starring Edmund Lowe, Sebastian Shaw and Ann Todd. Edmund Lowe reprised his stage performance in the role of Inspector Barrabal. It is based on the 1927 novel The Squeaker and 1928 play of the same name by Edgar Wallace. Wallace's son Bryan Edgar Wallace worked on the film's screenplay. The Squeaker is underworld slang for an informer. The film is sometimes known by its U.S. alternative title Murder on Diamond Row.

<i>No Trace</i> (1950 film) 1950 British film

No Trace is a 1950 British second feature crime film directed by John Gilling and starring Hugh Sinclair, Dinah Sheridan and John Laurie. A crime writer murders a blackmailer, and is then asked to help solve the case by the police.

<i>You Cant Buy Luck</i> 1937 film by Lew Landers

You Can't Buy Luck is a 1937 American murder mystery film directed by Lew Landers and starring Onslow Stevens, Helen Mack and Vinton Hayworth. It was produced and distributed by Hollywood studio RKO Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David McGreavy</span> English murderer

David Anthony McGreavy, also known as The Monster of Worcester or The Real Friday the 13th Killer, is an English convicted triple murderer who killed and dismembered his friend's three children in 1973. He was in the news in 2013 when an anonymity order imposed in 2009 was lifted based on findings that there was a public interest in his application for parole and that there was no immediate danger to his life. He was held in a vulnerable prisoners' unit, where he spent most of his 40 years in prison until he was released on parole in December 2018.

<i>Smooth as Silk</i> 1946 film by Charles Barton

Smooth as Silk is a 1946 American noir film directed by Charles Barton and starring Kent Taylor, Virginia Grey, and Milburn Stone. The film is also known as Notorious Gentleman as it is a version of 1935 film A Notorious Gentleman. The film focuses on the murder of a theater producer committed by a lawyer, after the lawyer's bride, an actress, left him for the producer to win a role in his new musical. Despite the fascinating plot and tense intrigue, this film failed to attract much attention.

<i>Devadas</i> (2018 film) 2018 Indian Telugu film directed and written by Sriram Adittya

Devadas is a 2018 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film produced by C. Ashwini Dutt under Vyjayanthi Movies banner and directed by Sriram Adittya. The film stars Nani, Nagarjuna Akkineni, Aakanksha Singh, and Rashmika Mandanna with music composed by Mani Sharma. It was released on 27 September 2018.

References

  1. "The Naked Face (1984) | BFI". Explore.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2012-07-11. Retrieved 2014-06-07.
  2. Awards at imdb.com
  3. Fowler, Roy (9 August 1994). "Interview with Bryan Forbes". British Entertainment History Project. Retrieved 2 August 2024.