It stars Richard Burton, Lino Ventura, Lee Remick and Harry Andrews, and features Alan Badel, Derek Jacobi, Gordon Jackson, Jeremy Brett and Michael Hordern.

Morlar's earlier legal career is seen to have halted after a courtroom defence speech that reveals his disgust at the world and offends the judge resulting in a lengthy imprisonment for his client.

Brunel eventually concludes that Zonfeld has attempted to kill Morlar in order to stop him causing more disasters, the most recent, at the time that he was attacked, involving American astronauts on a space mission to the moon that is being widely broadcast in the media.

From his hospital bed in a vegetative state Morlar manages to bring down a cathedral on the "unworthy heads" of a VIP congregation attending a Royal fundraising event for the crumbling building's restoration.

[6] The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "In its early scenes ...The Medusa Touch establishes an intriguing premise on which to build the legend of a modern-day gorgon. ...

An excessive amount of time is devoted to the unmasking of Zonfeld as the would-be murderer – a revelation which comes as no surprise and which is no substitute for the script's failure to develop her psychiatric relationship with Morlar any further than the occasional offer of a sedative.

The acting, inevitably, is as uneven as the film: Lee Remick is gradually reduced to blank, 'meaningful' stares; while Richard Burton, gravely intoning such lines as, 'I am the man with the power to create catastrophe', overacts unforgivably.

"[7] A sample from the film (Richard Burton's line "I will bring the whole edifice down on their unworthy heads") was used in the Manic Street Preachers' 1998 song "Ready for Drowning".