All careers must start somewhere, and with 1972’s Fear Is the Key, we find the cinematic debut of Ben Kingsley. Now Sir Ben, he doesn’t get the lead here, but from small things and all that.

When drifter John Talbot (Barry Newman) winds up in rural Louisiana, he gets into a brawl with the local cops. As they check out his record, they discover a slew of law enforcement agencies seek to capture him.

The truth may differ, though Talbot doesn’t stick around to adjudicate matters. After he escapes custody, he abducts Sarah Ruthven (Suzy Kendall) and hits the road, all with authorities in pursuit.

Fear started life as a 1961 novel by Alastair MacLean. Film fans seem more likely to associate MacLean with World War II tales such as Guns of Navarone, Where Eagles Dare and Force 10 From Navarone.

This made the contemporary focus of Fear a surprise – well, to me at least. Based on those films, I figured MacLean stuck with historical fiction.

Obviously not, as Fear brings a crime thriller set firmly in present day – well, the present day of the tale’s creation, of course. The novel took place a few years before its 1961 publication, but that feels close enough.

The film Fear comes from Michael Tuchner, a director whose filmography seems likely to inspire a lot of “I never heard of that” reactions. Tuchner spent most of his time in TV - Fear was his second feature, and he only made four more, even though his TV work kept him busy until 2004.

Of greater significance to movie buffs, Carey Loftin worked as stunt coordinator on Fear. The man behind the legendary chase scenes from films like Bullitt and The French Connection, Loftin’s presence seems likely to elevate this flick’s “thrill factor”.

And he does – at least for a while. When Talbot flees the authorities, Fear rockets into a long car stunt sequence that delivers an exciting and death-defying action piece.

Does the rest of Fear manage to hold up when compared to this vivid first act? Not really, but it still provides a pretty intriguing thriller.

After the more overt thrills of that opening car chase, Fear settles into a vibe more akin to a conspiracy tale. We quickly figure out that Talbot hides secrets and that his actions don’t come at random.

These elements add intrigue, as we find ourselves curious to know the truth and to see where Talbot’s journey will take him. The story leaves the audience guessing much of the time, and that factor adds spark to the proceedings.

Though he worked steadily for decades, Newman never became a legit star, probably because he lacked the looks for leading man status. While not an unattractive guy, he owned a face better suited to character roles.

That said, Newman feels right as Talbot. His rough-hewn appearance fits the role, and he brings a surly gravity to the part.

What about Sir Ben, you might wonder? He plays “Royale”, a mysterious thug who mostly remains in the background. Kingsley gets little to do in the role but he adds a good sense of subdued menace to his handful of scenes.

Nothing about Fear turns it into a lost classic, but I like it nonetheless. The film brings us a largely compelling little thriller.

Fear Is the Key appears in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Outside of a few concerns, the image worked pretty well.

No substantial issues with sharpness emerged. A few wider elements showed some modest softness, but those instances stayed minor.

No signs of jagged edges or shimmering materialized, but light edge haloes cropped up occasionally. Source flaws remained absent and grain seemed appropriate.

Colors looked low-key but fairly natural. They were always as full as the cinematography demanded, though, and they appeared solid.

Blacks were dark and full, while shadows usually came across well. This image usually seemed appealing, but the occasional soft shots and the nagging edge haloes made it a “B-“.

As for the LPCM monaural soundtrack of Fear, it was perfectly positive for its era. Speech sounded intelligible and clear, without significant edginess.

The movie offered a very “1970s” score, and these elements came across reasonably well. While the music lacked great range, it seemed clear enough and boasted a bit of low-end.

The effects represented the source elements in a competent manner. These elements offered reasonable accuracy with passable great punch. All of this was good enough for a “B-“.

When we shift to extras, we launch with an audio commentary from film historian Howard S. Berger. He provides a running, screen-specific view of the source and its adaptation, story/characters, cast and crew, genre domains and some production notes.

Though we occasionally learn about the movie’s creation and those involved, Berger usually sticks with his interpretation of the film. Some of this seems intriguing but I think Berger devotes too much of the track to these topics.

That feels especially true because even with a myriad of plot twists, Fear doesn’t provide an especially deep tale, so we don’t really need someone to explain it to us. Add to that the fact Berger often simply narrates the movie and this becomes a spotty track.

Weird footnote: the commentary kicks out with Berger mid-sentence. He utters “so ends a very…” and that’s it!

In addition to the film’s trailer, we find four featurettes. A Different Kind of Spy Game runs 23 minutes, 33 seconds and delivers a “visual essay” from film critic/author Scout Tafoya.

“Kind” covers the career of novelist Alistair MacLean as well as the social climate in which Fear was made, other adaptations of MacLean’s work and an overview of Fear. Tafoya brings a solid summary.

Fear In the Key of Budd goes for 16 minutes, 34 seconds. This one provides info from film historian/composer Neil Brand.

During “Key”, we get info about composer Roy Budd and his score for Fear. Brand gets into the music with gusto.

Next comes Producing the Action. A 29-minute, 55-second program, it offers an archival interview with associate producer Gavrik Losey.

“Action” looks at a broad array of production details. Losey adds useful material.

Finally, Bayou to Beay spans 39 minutes, 30 seconds an provides an archive program. It involves assistant production accountant Paul Tucker, focus puller John Golding, sound mixer Anthony Jackson, 3rd AD Peter Cotton, standby props Terry Wells and actor Peter Marinker.

Essentially anecdotal in nature, “Bayou” offers a mix of stories about the shoot. Nothing revelatory appears but this nonetheless turns into a nice collection of memories.

A mix of action and intrigue, Fear Is the Key delivers a pretty engaging thriller. Although it doesn’t quite excel, it does more than enough right to create a frisky experience. The Blu-ray comes with generally positive picture and audio as well as a mix of bonus materials. Chalk up Fear as a largely solid flick.