The House on Carroll Street (1987)

“We’re oil and water, Cochran. ” – Emily

Number of Times Seen – 1 (27 Jun 2021)

Brief Synopsis – A blacklisted women notices suspicious characters in the house across the street and enlists the help of an FBI agent to do so.

My Take on it – Interesting idea that doesn’t manage to stay as thrilling as one might expect.

Kelly McGillis was a hot property during the 80’s and this was another film that was suppose to help propel her to great heights in the industry.

Unfortunately the story of a blacklisted woman getting involved in a government conspiracy dealing with Nazi prisoners isn’t the kind of theme that she needed at the time.

The story moves along at a great pace and stays quite mysterious the whole way through even when things are starting to be revealed.

Jeff Daniels was also on his way up and his casting also works.

The two of them have nice chemistry together even though there aren’t too many scenes where they share screen time.

Mandy Patinkin is perfectly cast in the role of a politician who uses his job to not only further himself but further his own agenda and causes.

Jessica Tandy also appears in a small role which also works well here.

They do a nice job raising the tension and suspense along the way until it all finds a place to culminate.

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – After the usual “all incidents are fictional” disclaimer, it states “In particular, the producers do not intend to imply that Life Magazine dismissed any of its employees for their political beliefs or activities. The producers appreciate that Life Magazine recognizes the right of its employees to pursue their own political choices.” (From IMDB)

Rating – BAFTA Worthy (6/10)