History Film / Juggernaut

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''Juggernaut'' (aka ''Terror on the Britannic'') is a 1974 {{thriller}} film directed by Creator/RichardLester and featuring an AllStarCast headed by Creator/RichardHarris, Creator/OmarSharif and Creator/AnthonyHopkins.

An extortionist hides six time bombs on a cruise liner, the SS ''Britannic'', and demands a £500,000 ransom in return for information on the bombs' locations and instructions on how to disarm them without setting off their booby traps. A Navy bomb disposal team, led by Lt Commander Fallon (Harris), is flown out to the ship and attempts to disable the bombs, while on land a team of investigators led by Superintendent [=McLeod=] (Hopkins), whose family are on board the ''Britannic'', race against time to uncover the identity of the bomber.
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!!This film contains examples of:

* BlatantLies: When the passengers have to AbandonShip in very bad weather, a member of the crew assures them they'll soon be picked up. An American politician (being a ConsummateLiar) tells him he's full of it.
* CrapsackWorld: The shipping line would have gone broke years ago if it weren't for a large government subsidy, the ship's captain is having an affair with one of the passengers, the South Asian steward has been on the receiving end of racism his whole life, the bomb disposal team is overworked and underpaid, the cops don't have enough of the proper resources, and the weather on the cruise is miserable.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Averted; the villain talks in a somewhat prissy voice when making his demands, to hide his identity.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Early in the film, a member of the bomb disposal unit named Charlie mentions to his boss Fallon that he's passed on an opportunity to take a different job. Later, while both Charlie and Fallon are disarming two separate bombs, Fallon quips, "Haven't I told you about death? It's nature's way of saying you're in the wrong job." Shortly thereafter, [[spoiler: Charlie's bomb goes off, killing him]].
* HeroicBSOD: Fallon has one.
* OneWordTitle
* PhoneTraceRace: This trope plays out when the bomber calls to ask if the ship's owners have decided to pay the ransom yet. They successfully trace the phone that the call is coming from, only to find that it's just a relay, attached earpiece-to-mouthpiece to another phone which is receiving another call from the bomber's actual location.
* RansomDrop: The bomber specifies a place and time for the ransom to be dropped off; the police stake it out, but the pick-up is made by a hireling who doesn't know who he's working for. [[SpannerInTheWorks The villain's plan fails]] because this hireling has spent the money to be used for the excess baggage fee.
* StiffUpperLip: Averted; the passengers quickly work out the crew are nervous. When they're finally told the truth, the entertainment officer tries to raise their spirits to no avail, finally giving up and admitting that he's just as terrified -- a ConvenientSlowDance works [[SecurityCling a lot better]].
* TimeBomb: Six of them hidden in various parts of the ship and set to go off when the extortionist's deadline expires (plus a smaller one set to go off at the same time as the extortionist delivers his demands, as proof that his threat is not a hoax).
* WireDilemma: In the days before this was a tired cliché, everything comes down to Richard Harris, a pair of wire cutters, and two wires. The police back in London have captured the bad guy, and he tells them to cut the blue wire -- so now the question becomes, do you believe him, or cut the red wire?
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''Juggernaut'' (aka ''Terror on the Britannic'') is a 1974 thriller film directed by Creator/RichardLester and featuring an AllStarCast headed by Creator/RichardHarris, Creator/OmarSharif and Creator/AnthonyHopkins.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Early in the film, a member of the bomb disposal unit named Charlie mentions to his boss Fallon that he's passed on an opportunity to take a different job. Later, while both Charlie and Fallon are disarming two separate bombs, Fallon quips, "Haven't I told you about death? It's nature's way of saying you're in the wrong job." Shortly thereafter, [[spoiler: Charlie's bomb goes off, killing him.]]

''Juggernaut'' (aka ''Terror on the Britannic'') is a 1974 thriller film directed by Richard Lester and featuring an AllStarCast headed by Creator/RichardHarris, Creator/OmarSharif and Creator/AnthonyHopkins.

* AlanSmithee: After Richard Lester had the screenplay substantially rewritten by an uncredited Creator/AlanPlater, the original screenwriter asked to have his name taken off it, and the on-screen credit is given to the pseudonymous "Richard De Koker".

''Juggernaut'' (aka ''Terror on the Britannic'') is a 1974 thriller film directed by Richard Lester and featuring an AllStarCast headed by Creator/RichardHarris and Creator/AnthonyHopkins.

* BlatantLies: When the passengers have to AbandonShip in very bad weather, a member of the crew assures them they'll soon be picked up. An American politician (being a ConsumateLiar) tells him he's full of it.

* StiffUpperLip: Averted; the passengers quickly work out the crew are nervous. When they're finally told the truth, the entertainment officer tries to raise their spirits to no avail; finally giving up and admitting that he's just as terrified -- a ConvenientSlowDance works [[SecurityCling a lot better]].

* RansomDrop: The bomber specifies a place and time for the ransom to be dropped off; the police stake it out, but the pick-up is made by a hireling who doesn't know who he's working for.

* CrapsackWorld: The steamship company is losing money and its government subsidy is in danger of being pulled, the weather on the crossing is miserable, the passengers are grumpy despite [[ThinkHappyThoughts the overly-cheerful cruise director's best efforts]], and ''then'' [[FromBadToWorse they discover there are bombs on the ship]].

* ForWantOfANail: The hireling doesn't have a few pounds to pay the excess baggage charges while taking the bag containing the ransom money through customs. As a result the attempt to pay off the bomber fails and the bombs are fated to go off.
* GenreSavvy: One of the passengers is Mayor Corrigan, a cynical politician, who quickly sees through the captain's attempt to keep the presence of the bombs a secret.
-->''In my line of work you have to learn how to lie with remarkable precision. You also have to know how to recognize a lie when it bites you in the ass... and I have just been bitten.''

* ForWantOfANail: The hireling doesn't have a few pounds to pay the excess charges while taking the ransom through customs. As a result the attempt to pay off the bomber fails and the bombs are fated to go off.

An extortionist hides six time bombs on a cruise liner, the SS ''Britannic'', and demands a £500,000 ransom in return for information on the bombs' locations and instructions on how to disarm them without setting off their booby traps. A Navy bomb disposal team, led by Harris' character, is flown out to the ship and attempts to disable the bombs, while on land a team of investigators led by Hopkins' character, whose family are on board the ''Britannic'', race against time to uncover the identity of the bomber.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Early in the film, a member of the bomb disposal unit named Charlie mentions to his boss Fallon (Richard Harris) that he's passed on an opportunity to take a different job. Later, while both Charlie and Fallon are disarming two separate bombs, Fallon quips, "Haven't I told you about death? It's nature's way of saying you're in the wrong job." Shortly thereafter, [[spoiler: Charlie's bomb goes off, killing him.]]

* RansomDrop: The bomber specifies a specific place and time for the ransom to be dropped off; the police stake it out, but the pick-up is made by a hireling who doesn't know who he's working for.

* EnforcedMethodActing: The film was shot on an ocean liner in the North Sea. To get enough extras to convincingly portray a ship full of people, the production company ran advertisements in British papers, offering a lengthy cruise in the North Sea for free, but with the caveat that the ship would actually seek out the worst possible weather.

* WireDilemma: In the days before this was a tired cliché, everything comes down to Richard Harris, a pair of wirecutters, and two wires. The police back in London have captured the bad guy, and he tells them to cut the blue wire -- so now the question becomes, do you believe him, or cut the red wire?