Tales of the Unexpected (TV Series) Shatterproof (1981) User Reviews

An intriguing double hander.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 13 February 2016]

Gerry Williams returns home and discovers a man sat opposite him holding a gun, the man, Mr Smith, is an assassin, hired by Gerry's beautiful younger wife Ellen. Gerry has to think fast, he has a very short time to keep his life. Smith is an unusual killer, handsome, smart, intelligent, not what a killer should be. Gerry tries bargaining, offering artwork and money, but has an ulterior motive.

After the hideously unwatchable last episode 'A Woman's help,' Shatterproof comes as a welcome return to form (somehwat that is.) The production values aren't too bad, I can't decide if it's fifties or sixties set, but it looks rather good.

Anthony Shaw's (Smith) only acting credit, which I find hard to believe. The utterly wonderful Eli Wallach is just wonderful, a legend, he did a cracking job. Caroline Langrishe, only gets a small part, such a beautiful woman.

A cracking episode, one I think could be expanded and work beautifully well as a stage play, the story would lend itself very well. A bit similar to Dial M for Murder, and a Perfect Murder.

Familiar plot, but who cares, very good episode, I just wish the ending was a little different. 7/10

"I know my enemies, and you're not among them."

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 2 October 2021]

If you kept your eye on Jerry Williams (Eli Wallach), you had to know there was no way he switched the brandy glasses with the man hired to kill him. The way it was filmed, no opportunity presented itself that would have made it possible, even with a quick cutaway it would have been very difficult. What the real estate tycoon managed to do quite convincingly, was to plant a seed of doubt in Smith's (Anthony Pullen Shaw) mind, making him think that it was possible to do what he said he did. The locking of the brandy glass in the wall safe was a clever touch to seal that argument, a ruse that worked to have Williams turn the tables on his wife who hired the assassin. It's hard to find a loophole in this episode, and I compliment the writers of this story to pull a fast one that had Smith leave to target Mrs. Williams. Well done.

And by the way, Smith's name wasn't Smith. It was a name Jerry came up with to make their conversation personal.

OK Tales of the Unexpected episode.

[poolandrews · 5/10 · 16 April 2007]

Tales of the Unexpected: Shatterproof is set during the early 50's in Manhattan where rich but ruthless real estate businessman Gerry Williams (Eli Wallach) arrives home to his high rise apartment where he is greeted by a man (Anthony Shaw) sent by his young wife to kill him. As Williams stares down the barrel of his would-be assassin's gun he uses all of his ruthless cunning to turn the situation around & even make it work for himself in an unexpectedly satisfying way...

This Tales of the Unexpected story was episode 6 from season 4 that aired here in the UK originally during May 1981, the first of six Tales of the Unexpected episodes to be directed by John Jacobs I quite liked this but at the same time thought it was nothing overly special. The story by Jack Ritchie was dramatised by Pat Hoddinott & is your basic crime drama thriller orientated Tales of the Unexpected story as opposed to a supernatural horror themed one, I would say this is a fair way to pass 30 odd minutes but it never stood out as being brilliant or maybe quite as good as it should have been. The story which revolves the potential victim of an assassin gaining the upper hand through intelligence & even managing to turn the situation to his advantage has a neat idea behind it & is watchable if nothing else but it comes across as a bit pedestrian without much of an edge, it's all a bit static really.

This is reasonably well made & hasn't dated as badly as some Tales of the Unexpected episodes as it's meant to be set in the 1950's although there is no real reason why. The tension between the assassin & his victim could have been cranked up a bit more although the 30 minute time limit means it never really gets a chance to build any sustained atmosphere or tension. This one doesn't have a filmed introduction by Roald Dahl just a quick & some would say pointless voice over intro at the start which states where & when the story is set but nothing else.

Shatterproof is a decent enough way to pass half an hour but don't expect too much, a nice neat tight little tale that does the job in acceptable if unspectacular fashion.