Sky Riders (1976)

A perfectly fine action romp, the most novel feature being the use of hang gliders.

Terrorists kidnap the family (including Susanna York) of industrialist Jonas Bracken (Robert Culp). They are demanding a heavy price for the family's return. Meanwhile, Mrs Bracken's ex Jim McCabe (James Coburn) - the father of her son - is also alerted. 

When he sees that the police investigation led by Inspector Nikolidis (Charles Aznavour) seems to be going nowhere fast, and the police want the terrorists dead more than the hostages released alive, he decides he must go into action himself. He discovers that the terrorists are using an abandoned monastery and concocts a plan using a group of hang gliding dare devils to silently swoop in and make a rescue. The police, however, are not quite as inept as he thinks and they are also moving in...

This is a good film with a straight forward plot which leads up to an extended gun fight. The terrorists are fairly dumb though put up a good fight. The hang gliding scenes in the Greek mountains are pretty spectacular. It isn't world beating but it does the job.

Blind Date (1984)

A curious mess of a film. A deranged serial killer is incapacitating young women and practicing surgery on them. Meanwhile cocky advertising executive Jonathan (Joseph Bottoms), when he isn't sleeping with Kirstie Alley, is haunted by a girl called Rachel (Lana Clarkson) whom he once knew but lost contact with after a terrible incident in their past. Jonathan thinks he has found the girl in Athens but then he hits his head on a tree and is blinded.

(Mad) scientist (Keir Dullea) gives him the chance to "see" again using radar sensors hidden in a Walkman which feed into his brain. Although all he can "see" looks like an early 1970s video game, he is able to function again. He crosses paths with the serial killer, who has even disposed of Marina Sirtis, and begins a hunt for him. Can he catch him before the maniac kills Rachel?

Really this is two films, the amateur surgeon serial killer, and the story of how Jonathan loses and regains his sight. Both films are interesting, even pretty good. Unfortunately when they are put together it all becomes a bit of a mess. It is slash gore horror meets Tron, worth seeing mostly for curiosity value.