Eye of the Needle (film)

Plot summary

A man calling himself Henry Faber is actually a German Nazi spy nicknamed "the Needle" because of his preferred method of assassination, the stiletto. He is a cold and calculating sociopath, emotionlessly focused on the task at hand, whether the task is to signal a U-boat or to gut a witness to avoid exposure. In England, he obtains critical information on the Allies' invasion of Normandy plans. After narrowly escaping a British Intelligence agent in London, Faber tries to make his way to Germany, but is stranded by fierce weather on Storm Island, a place occupied only by a woman named Lucy (Kate Nelligan), her disabled husband David, their son, and their shepherd, Tom. A romance develops between the woman and the spy, due to an estrangement between Lucy and her husband, whose accident has rendered him emotionally crippled as well.

David is always suspicious of Faber, and when he discovers their guest's true identity, a struggle ensues, ending with the Needle throwing him off a cliff. Lucy realizes that her lover has been lying after she chances upon her husband's dead body. Meanwhile "The Needle" tries to get to Tom's radio to report to his superiors the exact location of the D-Day invasion. While he calls upon a German submarine, Lucy blows the house's fuses and stops his full message. When the German U-boat approaches the shore, Lucy becomes the Allies' last chance. She chases Faber to the sea, and while he is reluctant to harm her, she has no such qualms and shoots him as he tries to escape in a boat, thwarting his attempt to reach the submarine. Soon after, the British Intelligence agent who was chasing Faber arrives with the police. He encounters a despondent Lucy, Faber's body and the fleeing German submarine.

Alternative ending

Additional footage tells of Faber's activities four years before, and of David's accident, while another ending finds Lucy receiving help from British Intelligence.

Cast

Production

The Storm Island scenes were shot over eight weeks on the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides. Some of the location filming was shot at Blackbushe Airport Yateley.

Reception

Roger Ebert "admired the movie," stating it "resembles nothing so much as one of those downbeat, plodding, quietly horrifying, and sometimes grimly funny war movies that used to be made by the British film industry, back when there was a British film industry." On Rotten Tomatoes, 85% of critics gave the film positive reviews.

Anachronisms

The DKW Munga vehicle shown on the island was not built until the 1950s. The enclosed-cabin helicopter that is briefly shown toward the end of the film is also an anachronism.