The Keep

Quite a simple, strong concept let down by terrible execution. The music isn't just dated, it doesn't reflect the scenes, is completely mis-paced and sounds like one man with his synthesiser. The audio is a shocker. Someone decided that emulating tinnitus was the way to emphasise the finale. Many lines are completely inaudible and sound like they we're recorded in a wind tunnel. The effects are massively reliant on dry ice, with stagey set piece scenery straight out of bad rep theatre and severely dated special effects. Lots of people have written about the vicious editing but that doesn't excuse melodramatic, unmemorable lines straight out of second grade Hammer horror. A good cast delivers some pretty hammy performances, especially McClellan. And the direction seals the deal, reminding me of Ken Russell's worst excesses. Makes you wonder whether the production team were largely amateurs, or perhaps used to making music videos or ads. Needs to be remade

To call this film an oddity or a curiosity piece is a bit of an understatement. Actually if you look at this, there's already a lot of reviews here, so strangely enough this film is not as forgotten as its ashamed director would like it to be. THE KEEP starts out extremely well with a spellbindingly dreamlike and somewhat pretentious sequence with the Germans rolling into a small Romanian hamlet during WW2. Things remain interesting as long as the film keeps up the bizarreness and borderline out-of-place Tangerine Dream synthesizer music. However, things get silly when it turns out that the Germans have unwittingly raised a demon from a thousand year slumber who goes on a slow killing spree while fallen angel Scott Glenn works his way back there to save the earth. Things rapidly unravel as the promising setup settles into a plot which manages the amazing task of becoming nonsensical and routine simultaneously! A few things guarantee though that this imperfect film will forever have my attention. For one, it actually does a decent job of melding the horror and war genres and gives a brief glimpse of the completely ignored Romanian complicity in World War 2. It actually interestingly manages to give the German soldiers some characterization as well. Another thing this film has going for it is Michael Mann's completely OCD touch to the whole thing which oddly suits the subject matter. Not to mention the inspired casting; Jurgen Prochnow shines in his first major English-language role as a conflicted Wehrmacht captain matched by a cold and calculating Gabriel Byrne as his closed-minded S.S. superior. Scott Glenn and Alberta Watson do about as much as they can with their very underwritten protagonal characters and Ian McKellen hams things up considerably as a Jewish professor who tries to maneuver the demon into destroying the Germans for him. Actually, come to think of it, this film would have done just fine without Glenn or Watson - they seem only to exist to sidetrack the film into romantic drama territory which adds nothing. Much more interesting is McKellen's inner conflict and the exchanges between Prochnow and Byrne. Things seem awfully rushed at the film's last act considering the slow pace through most of the film, but that may be more the work of studio meddling than anything. Definitely worth picking up if you're into cinematic curiosities. Fits right in with THE SOLDIER and THIEF if you're looking for early 80's murky drama accompanied by Tangerine Dream, Alberta Watson, and Robert Prosky.

"The Keep" is Michael Mann's worst film. The first ten minutes may fool you into thinking it will be amazingly good. Then it descends into one of the worst attempts at horror/science fiction/whatever that the decade of the eighties produced. Not only does this film feature the worst performances of Gabriel Byrne's and Sir Ian Mckellen's careers, it also commits the sin of wasting one of the best performances ever given by Jurgen Prochnow in a sloppy, under-plotted, under-thought mess. This movie also features a rancid synthesizer score by Tangerine Dream and audio recording so bad that you can hear radio frequency interference in many of the scenes. Listen closely and you'll be able to hear the walkie-talkie conversations of the film crew as a barely-discernible background noise, audible just under the dialogue of the main performers. Thank God for "Miami Vice", because it allowed Michael Mann to redeem himself from this sin against cinema with "Manhunter" and to prove himself to be one of the best directors of the current American cinema with his other subsequent films. "The Keep" could have been a great combination of H.P. Lovecraft and Herzog's "Nosferatu" remake. Instead it plays like the weak half of one of the rare bad episodes of "Doctor Who" combined with Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein". That may make it sound interesting, but it isn't. If you love frustration or want to see just how bad a really good director can get, by all means watch this film. All others should stay away. Very far away.

I first saw this in the late 80s on a vhs. Revisited the 96 mins version recently. I liked the film then n now too. It has this surrealistic feel like that of a vivid dream. It has some unexplained things but that can be forgiven, mayb cos of bad editing or studio interfering. After reading recently that ther r many versions with different endings n that the screenplay aint true to the book, i felt like reading the book n watching all the versions. Since it is an 80s production, it has a terrible sex scene. The effects r a bit shoddy n the monster cud have been more better n intimidating. Gabriel Byrne with his silly haircut is terrific as the sadisitic Nazi. This is Bruce Payne's second movie n he plays a border guard. The plot in short - German troops occupy an uninhabited citadel in Romania to control the Dinu Mountain Pass. Two soldiers attempt to loot a metallic icon within the citadel in spite of being warned by a local priest. The soldiers accidentally unleash an evil entity, which kills them. The entity proceeds to kill several more soldiers in the following days and begins to take an intimidating form. Can somebody tell me where i can buy the 210 min original cut?

My understanding is that Michael Mann produced a film which was about 3 hours long and spanned most of the book - keeping largely to the plot as written. However that was deemed unreleasable- remember it isn't until recently that the powers that be have decided that cinema going audiences can cope with films of more than 90 minutes length. So... the film was brutally cut down into the deeply bizarre and unintelligible mess which was subsequently released. The question is: when are we going to get a fully and faithfully restored full length DVD reissue? Surely there would be a market for it? It could even get a cinematic release!

A few of a detachment of German Army soldiers are mysteriously murdered in a Romanian citadel - 1942. The SS arrives to investigate and put a stop to the killings. However, there is an evil force at work within the Keep which will do anything to escape. The Keep is a high concept yarn. The initial find set up and shooting of the villagers are stand out moments. The visuals and effects are stylistic, strong lighting, wind machines, optical layers are very much of there day. The special make-up has a startling 'cool' look to it, the 'Molasar' and Trismegestus designs are particularly well executed. Notably are the cast which includes the likes of Gabriel Byrne and Robert Prosky. Jürgen Prochnow is on fine form as Captain Klaus Woermann, Scott Glenn is intense and Ian McKellen is memorable as Dr. Theodore Cuza. The sets are well crafted, the on location shoot adds credence to the WWII setting and costumes add to the believability. Nevertheless, rather than being intriguing with a slow pace The Keep plods along without building any real tension or suspense. The editing is a little jumbled, it appears to be a mixture of good and bad takes leaving it somewhat disjointed especially in the final reel, it may have benefited from only using those 'good' takes with a shorter running time. Tangerine Dream's score is of its time but doesn't compliment the scenes, it's highly intrusive and takes away much of the atmosphere, subtlety and eeriness. Even with director Michael Mann at the helm and given the excellent story based on F. Paul Wilson's novel and Mann's adequate screenplay it never gels together. It's not sure whether it wants to be an art house, MTV video piece or gritty supernatural. Should Mann had attempted this recently he may have been able to fuse it together satisfyingly. I suppose retrospect is a fine thing. Curiously, Mann's workprint ran for 3 hours, after the studio saw what he had they wanted it cut to no longer than 90 minutes and assigned it second-level advertising. Mann has since distanced himself from the film. Through all its disjointedness The Keep is an interesting film with a strong mythical good versus evil theme that plays on old religious fables. Molasar (Michael Carter) is the most menacing evil entity/being ever committed to celluloid and it's a shame that this has fallen into obscurity robbing the character and The Keep of even cult status.

Very interesting story line and special effects. The kind of movie you don't mind seeing over again (if you like spooky stuff). Good performances by all actors, some of whom have gone on to bigger and better things like Ian McClellan. Twists in the plot are unexpected and the mix of genre makes it interesting also: Nazis fighting other world type of creature. You also are never quite sure who is good and who is evil. Although the ending is somewhat predictable, the preparation for the battle of good and evil is interesting. This is the kind of movie that you initially do not expect much from, but are pleasantly surprised. Not sure why it is not on DVD.

This is really Michael Mann's "The Keep", not F. Paul Wilson's. It is an interpretation of Wilson's novel, certainly not a slavish adaptation. Mann dispenses with much of Wilson's exposition, and has drastically rewritten scenes in order for them to exist solely as eye and ear candy. He is aided and abetted by Tangerine Dream, who deliver a hypnotic and surreal score. The movie does not hold together narratively or dramatically, and the love story is forced and awful. Alex Thomson's cinematography, however, is mind-blowing -- worth singling out are the boat sequence, the scene in which the Molasar (the imprisoned evil) visits Dr. Cuza (Ian McKellen), and Scott Glenn's motorcycle ride through the forest. Mann is expert at creating powerful, transcendent visuals, and sometimes he even gets the drama right, too ("Heat", for example), but in "The Keep", he is overwhelmed by the material. The film flopped badly when released, not surprisingly, but it is well worth seeing for its audacious set pieces and European visual style. A solid rewrite may have ironed out the confusion and strengthened the strained, awkward relationships between the characters. Recommended with reservations.

A group of German soldiers led by Captain Klaus Woermann are sent to take guard at a Keep near a Romanian pass. One of the soldiers believes that a cross-embedded in the wall is made of silver and digs it out. Only to release an evil presence, known as Molasar. It knocks off a couple of soldiers every night. Sturmbahnfuhrer Kaempffer and his SS patrol arrive in town to stop the problem. They believe it's simply partisan activity, but they soon find out its far from it. So they get the help of a Jewish man, Dr Theodore Cuza (along with his daughter Eva) who knows a bit about this Keep. Meanwhile, a mysterious man, Glaeken Trismegatus is on his way to stop this evil. Wow! But huh? Yeah, after spending a long time trying to see this hybrid movie. I finally got the chance and it was a very flawed, but reasonable effort by director / writer Michael Mann. I remember reading the quite interesting and extremely unique premise and being totally compelled by the idea of it. I guess not reading F. Paul Wilson's novel is a bittersweet thing, as I came in with very little expectations, but on the on other hand I was left clueless about certain disjointed sub- plots. Anyhow It's Mann's vision we got. The material is terribly mangled, jadedly rushed and comes across as pure pulp. However it's Mann's surreal direction, Alex Thomson's arresting photography and the moody electronic music score by Tangerine Dream that clicks in this atmospheric combination of fantasy, war and horror. Sure, there was interference by the studio in the final product (with a a lot of scenes hitting the cutting room floor), but Mann seemed more preoccupied with his visuals than with the plot and characters. They became nothing more than forgettable background features. The storyline was all over the ship with forced details (like the creation of evil entity) and a script riddled with confusing holes. There's an odd assortment of performances. Those who stood out were the humane German captain played by Jurgen Prochnow and Gabriel Byrne as the tyrant SS officer. Alberta Watson as Eva felt awkward and Ian McKellen was fine. However Glenn Scott looked as if he was somewhere else in a very laboured role as Glaeken Trismegatus. An intriguing character that had VERY little to do and was hard to understand. Visually there are plenty of potently dreamy images that spontaneously pop up. There's sharp craftsmanship in depicting certain sequences that just stick in your mind. Like when Byrne's character encounters Molasar. Worked into this is a very effective score that works the emotions thoroughly and creates a very out-of-this-world vibe. What captures this layout beautifully is Thomson's photography. His always in the right spot to get that impressive shot and original angle that just lingers on screen. The special effects is a big (if over-extended) light show that has style and the monster design can look a bit rubbery, but eventually the monster design by Nick Maley does come off. Mann knows how to stage a visually powerful scene, but if your looking for suspense. There are very few build-ups and little scares at all. The pace is slow, but the eerie setting holds up tightly and has a huge impact in the overall feel. It isn't perfect, but it's a really unusual and hypnotic good vs. evil opus by Mann.

The Keep is weird. It has extraordinary visuals and some powerful sequences, but a bit too much of the action is tricky to follow because the scripting is muddled and some of the dialogue is delivered in an inexpressive and unclear manner. The film is based on a book by F. Paul Wilson, which is one of my all-time favourite novels. The action revolves around a forbidding Romanian fortress set in a hillside. It is occupied by German soldiers during WWII, but the soldiers are foolish enough to disturb some of the glowing crosses embedded into the walls. From within the keep, an ancient and powerful evil force is unleashed, and only a mysterious drifter called Glaeken (Scott Glenn) knows what it is and how to destroy it. The scene in which the evil is released is brilliant. Two soldiers venture into the inner depths of the keep, and one is mutilated by the unseen power. Another terrifc scene involves old cripple Ian McKellen being given a new lease of youth by the evil force. There's also a beautiful and erotic love scene between Glenn and Alberta Watson. Other aspects of the film aren't so good. As mentioned, there's a lack of clarity in the story telling. Also, the final conflict between Glenn and the evil force is hasty and under-developed. The pace of the film suffers from a slow and rather uninspiring opening half-hour. However, genreally speaking, The Keep is worth watching, especially if you're a fan of the book.