moonspinner55 Patricia Neal always brings two attributes to her film performances: honesty and integrity--both of which work wonders for this derivative, somewhat moldy tale of a spinster, living under the thumb of her half-blind adoptive mother, who blossoms in love and independence with a 20-year-old handyman in rural England. The film, sort of a character study-cum-suspense melodrama, isn't an attractive showcase for Neal, yet she gives the scenario a hearty touch and her unmistakable stamp of dry wit. Neal's then-husband Roald Dahl adapted his screenplay from Joy Cowley's novel "Nest in a Falling Tree", pushing some of the kinkier aspects of the plot a bit far for a blue-haired thriller. Nevertheless, a visually perceptive and intriguing little movie that almost stays the course until the final act, which comes completely apart. Released under two different titles (also "The Road Builder"), though barely seen by anybody until the advent of cable movie channels. ** from ****

Darkling_Zeist Creepy, hugely atmospheric and surprisingly little-known British pot boiler concerning the wicked travails of a rather personable, youthful handy man; a soft spoken soul who once finished with his diligent roof repairs reveals himself to be a demented sex killer (Brilliantly played by a handsome and enigmatic Nicholas Clay). The director makes especially effective use of dark splashes of humor, and Hollywood icon Patricia Neal is an absolute delight. Pamela Brown's muscular performance is little short of stupendous; playing Patricia Neal's blind, abusive, over- zealous, wholly oppressive matriarch to the hilt! (I enjoyed this ballsy melodrama almost as much as 'The Fiend' with which it shares a similarly grim narrative, albeit with far less black humor) It would be entirely remiss of me in not mentioning the fine music of maestro Bernard Herrman. (As a prurient aside I never quite realized that Bridgit Forsyth had such a killer rack, if you will excuse the appalling pun)

The_Void The Road Builder is sadly not very well known, and that's a shame because this psychological thriller is a real gem and would certainly benefit from being more widely seen. The film is based on a book by Joy Cowley, although there were apparently some changes made to the story (I don't know what since I've not read the book). One of the more surprising things about this film is the fact that the screenplay was written by popular children's author Roald Dahl, although clearly he did also have a taste for the macabre if Tales of the Unexpected as well as his children's book 'The Witches' are anything to go by. The film is a strange love story at heart and we focus on a house inhabited by an old spinster and her middle aged daughter Maura. Their lives are changed one day when a young stranger on a motorbike turns up and they agree to let him stay. The young man becomes a popular figure in the house rather quickly, especially with Maura. However, there's something strange about him as evidenced by his sudden bursts of depression, apparently owing to the tragic death of his parents.Most of the plot takes place in a grandiose mansion and it makes for a really good location for the movie - it's very isolated and is nice to look at. The atmosphere is very good throughout and this excellently compliments the plot which is thoroughly dark and largely unpleasant. The plot doesn't move particularly quickly, but it's always interesting thanks to the way that the characters are built up progressively and director Alastair Reid focuses on their relationship with one another. The acting is very good and the film stars Roald Dahl's then wife Patricia Neal in the lead role. She gets on well with the other two main players, Pamela Brown and Nicholas Clay and these actors help to ensure that the film works well. There's not a great deal of shocking moments, but the way that the unpleasant happenings are handled works very well as it's nasty yet completely believable. It all boils down to a very good ending and The Road Builder is certainly a film with a 'sting in the tail'. Overall, I really hope this gets a decent release soon because it's a great thriller and well worth seeing!

Boba_Fett1138 The movie has some messy storytelling and most of the elements in the movie don't really work out.This movie certainly isn't a terribly interesting to watch. It's a bit of a psychological thriller but it isn't scary, tense or compelling enough to call it a good one. It has a good concept but the end result is pretty disappointing.Main reason why the movie is a bit of a failed one is because of the weak storytelling. Most of the elements in the movie feel very muddled, especially the ending and at times it takes ages before something really interesting to happen in the movie. It isn't exactly a dull movie though, it's more like an uninteresting one, even though the story itself really isn't a bad one.The characters are portrayed nicely in the story but to be frank, they were to boring and distant to feel for. Patricia Neal, who also had a stroke in real life, prior to this movie, is a good leading lady and also good was Nicholas Clay in his very first movie appearance. He does provide the movie with some good moments but it all simply is not enough to make the movie interesting and recommendable enough.From a movie with Patricia Neal, Roald Dahl and Bernard Herrmann involved, some more fireworks was to be expected.4/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/