The Keep

Name: The Keep
Genre: Action, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Horror
Released: December 16, 1983
Duration: 96 min
Rating: 34
Cast: Ian McKellen, Scott Glenn

1983

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Generally unfavorable reviews based on 10 Critic Reviews

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4.5

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The Keep

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Movie Details & Credits

Paramount Pictures | Release Date: December 16, 1983 | R

Starring: Ian McKellen, Scott Glenn

Summary: Nazis are forced to turn to a Jewish historian for help in battling the ancient demon they have inadvertently freed from its prison.

Director: Michael Mann

Genre(s): Action, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Romance, War

Rating: R

Runtime: 96 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Empire Adam Smith

The Keep wears its crap bits proudly on it's sleeve, its qualities are more hidden and emerge only once you've watched it, dismissed it and then found that it's atmosphere refuses to disperse. Read full review

Michael Nordine

The movie can’t always keep its many moving parts in lockstep, what with its hinted-at mythos that obscures more than it elucidates and its cast of enigmatic characters whose precise dealings with one another are never made entirely clear, but its World War II backdrop, ravishing synth score by Tangerine Dream and Third Reich mysticism make for a poppy but brooding atmosphere. Read full review

Scott Tobias

Mann’s achievement in creating his own dreamlike alternate reality alongside a historical one isn’t necessarily diminished by his failure to bring the story across. The keep has a presence: castle walls that stretch to infinity, an ancient Evil that forbids lodgers and requires rituals to contain it, the metaphorical heft of standing over a war of unimaginable atrocity. And thanks to Mann, The Keep has a presence, too. Read full review

Staff [Not Credited]

Buried deep within The Keep’s mysterious exterior lies that chilling Hollywood question: how do these dogs get made? Read full review

Bill Cosford

Mann deserves credit for trying new stuff, of course; The Keep is nothing if not ambitious. But it isn't anything more, either. [20 Dec 1983, p.D5]

Vincent Canby

The movie makes no sense as either melodrama or metaphysics, so that its expensive special effects go up in smoke. Literally. Read full review

Jay Scott

The Keep has opened just in time - if it had waited another couple of weeks, it would have been the worst horror movie of 1984 and there wouldn't have been anything to look forward to all year. [17 Dec 1983]

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User Reviews

Bunkerfox

Apr 6, 2015

This film has been very heavily edited, and it seriously shows.

This film has some amazing visuals. The keep where most of the film is set is beautifully eerie, Michael Mann creates beautiful visual landscapes in his films, and in this early work his talent is on display. The heavyThis film has been very heavily edited, and it seriously shows.

This film has some amazing visuals. The keep where most of the film is set is beautifully eerie, Michael Mann creates beautiful visual landscapes in his films, and in this early work his talent is on display.
The heavy editing can be seen in this films story and the overall pace. It's not exactly hard to follow because there isn't much TOO follow. Large parts of the story have been cut so I have no idea who people are, why they are there, what they are doing, or even their motive. The story is confused as well. It starts out at a normal pace, and then suddenly it's like you miss an hour of the film and everything has changed. Watch confused for a while longer and then the finale just jumps out and surprises you, and it's over. It feels like there is a good story that can be told here, but the film is rushing to the finish and is happy to skip as much story as it can get away with to get there.

The acting isn't bad, but it isn't good either. No one beyond Jürgen Prochnow or Ian McKellen is allowed enough screen time with their characters. Scott Glen is the hero of the film and Michael Carter is the villain, but they are barely in it!

The soundtrack is, in my opinion, great. However, it probably won't be to everyone's taste as it is rather synthesized as opposed to orchestral. It is also much more of a soundscape than a traditional soundtrack you would find for a movie, but it fits the dark and creepy atmosphere of the film beautifully.

The sound quality in other regards is very poor however. Audio levels and quality vary wildly, with people going from speaking clearly to inaudible within the same line. Sound effects also often have poor quality, almost as if this film was recorded straight to a VHS.

In summary, this is a film that looks great, but is a confused and dull mess. A film that is only of interest to Michael Mann fans or people who like seeing how studio editing can butcher a film.… Expand

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