Very Cool!!!

Excellent but underrated film

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

American industrialist in Greece has to raise $5,000,000 in 48 hours to save his wife and children from the hands of a merciless anti-imperialist terrorist organization known as the World Activist's Revolutionary Army; when the police prove to be inept, the kidnapped woman's ex-husband organizes a hang-gliding team to infiltrate the terrorists' mountaintop lair. Old-fashioned adventure saga of the kind that hadn't been in vogue for several years (outside of the Bond films). Certainly not a bad movie, just a little late in arriving. Teaming of Robert Culp and James Coburn certainly pays off, and the aerial photography is very good. ** from ****

"Brannigan" director Douglas Hickox's above-average adventure epic "Sky Riders" qualifies as an entertaining but improbable abduction opus. James Coburn of "Our Man Flint" fame stars as a smuggler who struggles to rescue his ex-wife and two children from the clutches of a treacherous group of trigger-happy kidnappers that call themselves World's Activist Revolutionary Army. This swiftly-paced, PG-rated, 91-minute suspense thriller draws its title from the hang gliders that Coburn employs to snatch Susannah York and two children from a mountain-top monastery. Robert Culp co-stars as wealthy industrialist Jonas Bracken who married Susannah York's character after she divorced the Coburn hero. "Sky Riders" was the first time that the picturesque monastery was used in a Hollywood actioneer. Several years later, producer Albert R. Broccoli used the location in the Roger Moore James Bond thriller "For Your Eyes Only." The aerial assault on the monastery is spectacular stuff, and Coburn appears to be performing his own stunt when he clings to the skid of a helicopter in flight. Unfortunately, despite its scenic settings, dazzling cinematography, and big-name cast, "Sky Riders" suffers from the absence of a strong villain. Scenarists Jack DeWitt, Greg MacGillivray, and Stanley Mann penned the screenplay from a story by Bill McGaw, Hall T. Sprague, and Garry Michael White. Two problems plague this aerial actioneer. They don't have an intimidating villain, and the dialogue remains pretty bland. French singer Charles Aznavour plays a Greek police man who wants to arrest the bad guys. Lalo Schifrin's music enhances the bloody violence

"Sky Riders" is good fun, with a fairly unique premise. Robert Culp plays Jonas Bracken, an industrialist whose family are kidnapped by terrorists who demand a ransom. Also swept into the drama is Jim McCabe (James Coburn), the ex-husband of Jonas's wife Ellen (Susannah York) and biological father to Jonas's stepson. The trouble is, our good guys realize that the bad guys have holed up in a mountaintop lair, and will be able to see most anybody that's coming. Then Jim hits upon inspiration: hire a hang gliding team to perform as an impromptu rescue unit, taking lessons from them himself. The hang gliding sequences give this action-thriller something extra. Directed extremely well by Douglas Hickox ("Theatre of Blood", "Zulu Dawn"), this is a genuinely exciting movie that can actually keep a viewer watching. It's breathtaking, with the expected impressive aerial stunts and lots of amazing Greek scenery. The music by Lalo Schifrin is just perfect as it's quite rousing and the movie just steadily builds the whole time towards a fantastic action climax. The acting is fine from most everybody involved, with Coburn making for a rugged and engaging hero, Culp the picture of grim determination, York a feisty victim, and Charles Aznavour solid as the intrepid Inspector Nikolidis. The people playing the hang gliders include John Beck, Barbara Trentham, Henry Brown, and Steven Keats, and they're a very likable bunch. Werner Pochath and Zouzou are appropriately odious as two of the terrorists. This is clearly not a movie that's too well known, which is too bad as it deserves better. One could certainly do a LOT worse. Eight out of 10.

"Skyriders" is a typical action film from the 70's that opened and closed within two weeks and your local theater and drive-in. It contains a few name stars (James Colburn, Robert Culp) but let's face it the action is supposed to be the star. On that score the film is not bad. The problem is it takes much too long to get to the action.Colburn stars as a pilot whose ex-wife and child (along with another child fathered by Culp) are kidnapped by mercenaries for ransom. While Culp works on raising the money and cooperating with authorities, Coburn hires a band of expert gliders to aid in a rescue. All of this could have been told in a clean quick manner but it takes forever to get to the rescue. We even have a silly montage of the skydivers training Colburn. Not necessary. We want the action! Contrary to the first comment the skyrider scenes are not too dark even though the desired effect is for it to night time. Actually I think it was shot during the day and a dark filter superimposed on the film to make it look like night. If you look closely at the rocks you can see the shadows of the gliders. I never saw such pronounced shadows at night.The gliding scenes are well done and thrilling up to a point. My biggest problem is that the escape plan seems all too easy seeing where the kidnappers are located. Of course it's not all done without a hitch but there are no real twists to keep things exciting. The last part of the film becomes a standard shoot em up film that you have scene hundreds of times before.The film is mediocre at best. The good talent is pretty much wasted in an action film with not enough action or a smart script.