Of course, there’s often a valid reason why for these sorts of things, and in the case of “The Black Windmill,” it’s because the film isn’t so much bad as it is unremarkable. An adaptation of Clive Egleton’s book by screenwriter Leigh Vance, “The Black Windmill” finds Siegel in charge of a British espionage affair with agent Michael Caine’s son abducted by international gun smugglers run by a villainous John Vernon, hoping to score with a diamond ransom. Caine receives scant support from his superiors and is soon framed by the gang responsible, leading him to France and back again in an effort to save his son before time runs out.
Elegantly shot on-location and in widescreen by Ousama Rawi, “The Black Windmill” certainly starts off promisingly, yet instead of crisp action and mounting suspense, the film offers lots of scenes of its characters answering phones and running about to negligible dramatic effect. Caine was criticized for being overly dialed back here, and it’s certainly a performance in keeping with the conservative tone of the entire film – it’s well-constructed as you’d expect from a Siegel picture, certainly attractive to look at and flavorful, but it just never shifts into another gear, limping along to an anti-climax.
Filled with familiar faces in support – from Donald Pleasence to Clive Revill, Joss Ackland, Catherine Schell and John Rhys-Davies – “The Black Windmill” isn’t a misfire yet doesn’t click at the same time. Nevertheless, the picture is worth seeing for its locations and footage of an English Channel hovercraft in operation at Pegwell Bay, plus Rawi’s flavorful cinematography.
Kino Lorber’s welcome Blu-Ray offers a healthy, good-looking 1080p (2.35) transfer that must have been recently produced as it offers a high amount of detail compared to many Universal catalog masters. The mono sound is clear and boasts an appropriately workmanlike Roy Budd score, with extras including the trailer, an interview with Rawi and commentary from German film historian Mike Siegel.
