I quite like this film but I think other reviewers may have missed the point. There's no need for us to know where this is set as it could in fact, be anywhere and it need not even be in this reality.We're looking at the volatile interaction of three main characters two of whom seem to be two sides of the same person - Mac a probable psychopath with utterly twisted morals, the seemingly weak but rational and sympathetic Ansell and the catalytic helicopter.The star of this show is undoubtedly the black helicopter endlessly and seemingly mindlessly track or perhaps even herd the protagonists into an area where they can be captured or killed.The chopper is like a cat, playing with a mouse (life) without actually killing its victim. The gunman on the chopper is seen smirking as the helicopter threatens Ansell on the mountainside. The helicopter could in fact be death or something else like the balancing agent between rational and irrational thoughts.I don't think this film gets the exposure it deserves. It's definitely worth a look.

In a brief encounter with Malcolm McDowell, upon the mention of this particular 1970 film he rolled his eyes in amazement (that such an obscure cinematic curio would be remembered?) and spoke bluntly of his working stint with Robert Shaw – how it was a grueling four month shoot since the very unpredictable actor had a penchant for the bottle… Then McDowell finished with: "But I loved him." Well this sort of love/hate relationship exists between Shaw's coldblooded, experienced MacConnachie and McDowell's naïve yet wily young Ansell… two escaped convicts on the run in an unnamed country. The first thirty minutes have both characters with hands tied behind their backs as they trudge up and down craggy mountainsides like desperate billygoats while a helicopter (described by MacConnachie as "the black skeleton") soars above: playing a hectic game of cat and mice.Whether hiding behind rocks, entering stealthy into villages, tramping through soldier-saturated paddies or shooting up military compounds, the two "figures" always return to their match against the antagonist copter – more of a meddling crow than bird of prey.The Arial shots are as gorgeous as the picturesque landscape; the edgy violin score is reminiscent of future suspense films THE FRENCH CONNECTION or THE EXORCIST; and the performances by both (now iconic) cult favorites are topnotch: Shaw with a cunning edge while McDowell slowly loses his sanity.The actors really shine during sporadic pockets of downtime: The veteran either goading the youngster into becoming more vicious or sharing sullen memories of his dead wife. All timed neatly with the intense action sequences: built around a taut climate of primal perseverance by two men who've become human animals to survive against a metallic one.For More Reviews: www.cultfilmfreaks.com

FIGURES IN A LANDSCAPE is interesting for a lot of reasons: it was directed by Joseph Losey,it stars a very young Malcolm McDowell and it boasts a script by co-star Robert Shaw.The set-up is very existential: 2 men are pursued by a mysterious black helicopter over a rough, desert terrain. We never learn the reasons for any of this or even where it is taking place.The atmosphere of dread is kept at a high level thru-out.Everything about the film is as stripped to the basics as the title suggests. The men are never given much more than the briefest of backgrounds. But it is precisely this quality of mystery that gives the film its main points of interest. I would certainly like to be able to see it on a larger screen. The helicopter photography is very impressive and the shots of the two figures traversing the inhospitable terrain are striking.Robert Shaw gives a ferocious performance. Malcolm McDowell's part requires him to be more subdued but he is capable and provides the film's main sympathetic character.

This movie takes what was a difficult novel to start with (by Barry England) and turns it into a rather odd tale of two men on the run. Robert Shaw wrote the screenplay and stars in this, and as usual is excellent as the tough and slightly unhinged Mac, with Malcolm McDowell in slightly overshadowed support as Ansell. You never really find out why they are running or who from (their pursuers are constantly referred to just as 'them'); but at times the action turns bloody and violent, at other times it is more reflective and quiet. Joseph Losey's direction gives us the sense of two people lost in an expanse of nothing, which makes the scenes with the helicopter chasing them across country even more powerful. It is just hard to care about these two, without any back story to speak of or any sense of just what or who they are. An ok film and worth watching, but slightly frustrating.