Review of The Mind Snatchers (1972) by Kate J — 26 Mar 2011

It lags badly in the middle and the beginning is slightly incomprehensible, but it's all worth sitting through for the ending, where the central theme and consequent moral dilemmas are explored eloquently, if heavy-handedly, in one beautiful penultimate scene. The ending is also appropriately chilling. Mostly, this film is memorable for the quality of the acting on the part of the doctor and delinquent hero Private Reese.

And of course, the real reason anyone has seen this, Private Reese's being played by the very young, very beautiful Christopher Walken. His ethereal loveliness is a wonderful contrast with the personality of the character he plays and that alone actually makes the film a bit more interesting as a human portrait. This and the final few scenes are enough to warrant a recommendation as far as I'm concerned.