As a film buff, I'm particularly intrigued by movies that for whatever reason ended up in total obscurity even though they nevertheless had the potential to become huge blockbuster hits. Take "Hostage Tower", for instance… Admittedly it's only a TV-movie (although even they can obtain a classic status…) and it got released at a time when the disaster movie was already exhausted, the film superficially appears to contain all the necessary ingredients to be an enormous success. The setting and basic plot are unique and original (a gang of elite criminals takes over the Paris Eifel Tower and keeps the American President's mother hostage), the cast if full of familiar faces (Peter Fonda, Billy Dee Williams, Britt Ekland, Maud Adams and several others) and the scenario is based on a novel by the immensely popular crime author Alistair McLean. Then why exactly hasn't anyone ever heard of "Hostage Tower". Well, maybe – just maybe – it's because it's a terribly disappointing and mediocre crime caper that doesn't properly exploits its aforementioned strong assets and remains rather dull from start to finish. In spite of the grotesque and almost preposterous opening sequences, in which criminal mastermind Mr. Smith (Keir Dullea) carefully recruits his accomplices and submits them to tough trainings, the actual attack of the Eiffel Tower is lame and uninspired. And while there absolutely isn't any action going on, the characters naturally turn out to have secret agendas and Mr. Smith predictably doesn't plan to share the loot. The action sequences are limited to a couple of stuntmen descending the tower with ropes and hi-tech laser weapons blasting a football to pieces. The most entertaining moments, in fact, feature Celia Johnson as the stubborn President's mother who refuses to be intimidated by the villainous Mr. Smith. The VHS copy that I own is extremely rare and has an awesome illustration on the cover, so I'm still somewhat proud to have it in my collection, but don't really intend to watch the film again and I won't recommend it to fans of crime caper/disaster/heist movies.

Mr. Smith is the world's most sorted out criminal, cunning and extravagant as he has eluded justice by hiding his true identity. Now he wants to pull off a big job, as he recruit's a team of fellow criminals that each has a speciality important to the job. Before knowing what it is, they must complete a training course where they discover it involves hijacking the Eiffel Tower for a $30 million ransom. What a cast! Such an atypical plot! Groovy soundtrack! But alas those good intentions equal something that's mostly a lacklustre caper film with numerous fluff. Plenty of time is spent toiling and waiting around for things to happen, as the calculated situation is set-up, but never does it fully capture the danger and suspense until the last few minutes. It can be off-putting with its talky script and when things do occur the action is light-weight. Sometimes its comic nature feels oddly placed. Then again this was a made for TV enterprise. Gladly it's the performances that add colour. So did the infallible lasers. Watch it go to work on a soccer ball! Peter Fonda, Maud Adams, Keir Dullea, Billy Dee Williams, Britt Ekland, Celia Johnson, Jack Lenoir, Rachel Roberts and Douglas Fairbanks Jr all have their moments. Fonda and Adams worked off each other nicely… so did Dullea and Ekland. Interesting combinations. Although Dullea suave manner was sometimes laughable. Holding a city to ransom might just sound textbook, but the choice of location is inspired. However I wished they did a little more with the idea, then with the approach they took. Still it does get better as it goes along, even if it plays out in very contrived circumstances.

i came across a copy of this film at a used video store in philadelphia.several things make this movie a rather enjoyable crime caper.the french location shots,the overall acting and the basic plot.the plot involves a plan by a master criminal to hold hostage the eiffel tower! the overall look of the film is good,the producers chose wisely in having a decent budget,and it shows all the way through.too many films like this always have budgets that are too small.anyway, the terrorist employ a bevy of high tech gadgets to keep the authorities at bay during the siege. one of these are laser beams.this gives parts of the movie a little bit of a science fiction flavor .the film is also enjoyable because it bothers to show the large amount of prep work our villains have to go through to gain their objective. in a worse film ,the bad guys just show up with their hardware ,and the audience is just to accept that these guys have this stuff just lying around. although the premise of the movie is a little over the top ,the film does not employ a great deal of sex ,blood ,or violence.film stars big name actors and you can't go wrong with a big name or two.overall this film is a good time filler.i have never seen this on television ,but at one time it was available on video in the 80's. it's currently out of print find a used copy and enjoy.

Though the book was better, Hostage Tower is not a bad movie. It has an orignal plot, interesting characters, and lots of plot twists. The effects were not bad, for an 80's movie. While good, Hostage Tower doesn't hold a candle to the later UNACO films, Death Train and Night Watch, staring Pierce Brosnan. I wouldn't rent or buy it, but if Hostage Tower is on TV and you have a little time to kill, it's worth watching.