"Figures in a Landscape" is definitely one of the weirdest and most unclassifiable movies I've encountered lately, and at the same time it's pretty difficult to explain why that is. Some movies are weird because they increasingly overpower the viewer with substantial twists and/or stylistic gimmicks, but still they constantly uphold the impression there's some kind of deeper meaning or hidden structure behind it. The films of David Lynch are like that, for example. Other movies, and "Figures in a Landscape" is definitely one of them, are weird because they never at one point feature abrupt story twists and never even seem to want to achieve a deeper meaning. Kind of like the 'what you see is what you get principle' and don't even bother asking background information. Based on Barry England's novel - that probably only very few people have read - "Figures in a Landscape" revolves on two escaped convicts nervously running across a desolate area. Pretty much like the title implies, they are, in fact, simply figures in a landscape. We're never explained where exactly the events take place (South America? East Asia?) or what crimes the two committed in the first place. They must have been quite serious, however, as MacConnachie and Ansell quickly find themselves besieged by a menacing black helicopter and later also by army patrols on foot. The helicopter plays a devastating mental and physical game with them, as it appears to be omnipresent and in absolutely no hurry to pick them up. This is the type of film where there are no characters to root for. You won't develop any sympathy for the fugitives as they commit some truly vile acts along their way and you can't really support the guys inside the helicopter, neither, as their faces aren't even properly shown. "Figures in a Landscape" is a brooding, moody and mildly unsettling film that doesn't always makes sense and doesn't bother to involve the viewer. But, if you manage to put all the unanswered questions aside from you, this also might turn out one extremely enchanting viewing experience. Every shot, every inch of the landscape seems precisely measured and re-considered at least a dozen times before featuring in the film. The choreography is simply wonderful and the filming locations – apparently Spanish – are almost continuously breathtaking. The performances of Robert Shaw and Malcolm McDowell couldn't be more apt and Joseph Losey's direction is very surefooted. After seeing only this and the even more unique "These are the Doomed", I'm more than anxious to check out Losey's further repertoire.

If you like scenes of majestic natural settings, then this is the film for you. The Sierra Nevadas in Granada, Spain makes for a gorgeous cineramic view that must have been stunning on a big screen and even on a big TV in widescreen is certainly resplendent. Unless you've read the book, you are never aware that the two escaped prisoners played by Robert Shaw and Malcolm McDowell were British soldiers in an unknown country, but here, you just see them as handcuffed men managing somehow managing to get out of their cuffs, gain some weapons and end up in a less mountainous region where they are chased by a black helicopter and eventually a group of soldiers resulting in some fierce gun battles.

During The quiet moments between the two, they reveal little about themselves in their infrequent conversations and some of these sequences are completely silent, only on occasion interrupted by a musical background. it's interesting to see the helicopter being filmed from above by obviously another helicopter, and at one point, that helicopter seems to be shooting at the other one. a lot of ground catches on fire during the film so it is obvious that much of the lush greenery you see was destroyed or greatly damaged.

Shaw and McDowall pretty much need to just react to everything going on around them, so they are basically figures in a war game rather than characters you can empathize with. Exhaulted director Joseph Losey's presence indicates that this was more of an art experiment than one destined for big box office so perhaps you can catch the metaphors. As for this writer, I enjoyed what mountainous scenery they show as well as the action, but somehow the point of it all escaped me.

Joseph Losey directed this handsome but rather ponderous adaptation of Barry England's book about two British soldiers escaping imprisonment in a Latin America country, doggedly pursued by a helicopter armed with a sniper. Screenwriter and co-star Robert Shaw reportedly completed the final draft of the script while the film was in mid-production (he receives sole on-screen credit). Shaw omits the military backgrounds of the characters, instead making the exhausted, griping men an anonymous duo, which has led some to believe this an existential adventure. It certainly has more aerial and explosive action than any other Losey film (the helicopter stunts are often hair-raising),but the men (Shaw and a young Malcolm McDowell) are angry blanks--and this seems entirely deliberate. The dazzling on-location work in Spain of the three cinematographers, Henri Alekan, Peter Suschitzky and Guy Tabary, is worth-seeing, and the picture's puzzling, downbeat finale is intriguing, but this trek from the jungles to the mountains is mostly an unrewarding journey. ** from ****