THE TOWER (1985)
Article 5131 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 4-17-2016
Directed by Jim Makichuk
Featuring George West, Ray Paisley, Jackie Wray
Country: Canada
What it is: Thriller, Canadian TV-Movie style

A skyscraper is built with a new special energy system that draws from the heat of the human beings inside. However, the computer that controls the energy decides that it can derive more energy from its sources if it consumes them completely…

I like the basic premise of this movie, and the basic story would make for a nifty little thriller. But this movie has problems, and though I’m tempted to blame them on the low-budget of the movie, I don’t think that’s the real problem. One major problem is that much of the acting is way below par; there are numerous bad line readings and examples of poor character interaction. However, the main problem is a combination of two factors; slow pacing and a poorly constructed script. These are forgivable during the first two-thirds of the movie; you expect the opening exposition to be a bit on the slow side, and the middle section of the movie does a decent job of setting up the tension necessary for the final third. However, when we get to that final third, the movie inexplicably slows to a crawl, with endless scenes of people walking around and dull conversation sequences that should have been earlier in the movie if not cut altogether. The movie runs an hour and 42 minutes, and a good half hour could have been cut easily. The end result is a movie that could have been much better.