This is an Irish film that premiered on American TV back in 1980. It's nothing special. It's a conspiracy story involving industrial spying and a plane from Rome that crashes in Ireland: certainly elements that you could see coming from the pen of Frederick Forsyth. It's Rod Taylor's family that is wiped out in the plane crash and, outraged at discovering that it was no accident, he finds a way to gain revenge on the people behind it. Taylor plays an American insurance exec in Ireland, but of course that isn't a position with enough muscle and craftiness, so the writers also provide him with a background as a former Green Beret. This gives him filmic license to be as sharp and as deadly as they come. Guess those villains picked the wrong family to accidentally wipe out---now they've got an angry Rod to deal with. Actually, Taylor's character and most of the others are cliché (including Pettet as the intrepid female reporter---yawn). But there IS one actor and character that stands out: Cyril Cusack as the Irish police inspector. His rumpled, calm and casual, yet brilliant inspector is the best thing in the film. He steals every scene. Too bad nothing further (another movie or even a TV series) was done with this delightful character. It's the one thing to recommend in this otherwise ordinary revenge saga.
Review of Cry of the Innocent
