***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** I had been waiting to see this movie since i saw most of it 3 years ago while on vacation in myrtle beach, s.c.Was it EVER worth the wait!The subject of chemical weapons terrorism could be taken out of todays headlines. Perhaps that is why no network im my area has shown it. I was lucky enough to come across a used copy on e bay. I can't stop watching it!!
Michael crichton's influnce is obvious here, with a plot that begins quickly, and builds to an unexpected twist in the climax. Though some of the early digital technology shows it age,(the control unit with lots of blinking lights and switches, as is the case with most early computer technology in the movies), this does not diminish from the suspense that this movie carries. An on screen digital countdown appears frequently, further alerting the viewer that SOMETHING BIG IS COMING.The cat and mouse action between ben gazzara and e.g. marshall is very intriguing. Every time gazzara thinks he is one step ahead, marshall surprises him.
Near the end of the movie, marshall is caught and the nerve gas bomb is disarmed. ,or so it appears. Just when it seems that the good guys have won, crichton throws in one more twist. It is a race aginst time for a federal agent to find a hidden bomb that is a fail-safe, designed to release the gas onto san diego if the primary system is defeated.A heart-stopping sequence occurs when the agent has to race down many flights of stairs to get a bomb-sniffer, and then back up again ,because the elevators in the apartment building where the gas is at have been disabled. Of course ,the agent is able to save the day in the end.
As I write this on september 10, we here in the U.S. are at orange alert as a result of terroristic threats.This movie was made 30 years ago, but with its plot of chemical terrorism ,it could have been made yesterday.
If you like techno/political thrillers, and can find a copy of this movie, it is well worth your time.
I rate this movie at a 9 out of 10!!!!!
Michael crichton's influnce is obvious here, with a plot that begins quickly, and builds to an unexpected twist in the climax. Though some of the early digital technology shows it age,(the control unit with lots of blinking lights and switches, as is the case with most early computer technology in the movies), this does not diminish from the suspense that this movie carries. An on screen digital countdown appears frequently, further alerting the viewer that SOMETHING BIG IS COMING.The cat and mouse action between ben gazzara and e.g. marshall is very intriguing. Every time gazzara thinks he is one step ahead, marshall surprises him.
Near the end of the movie, marshall is caught and the nerve gas bomb is disarmed. ,or so it appears. Just when it seems that the good guys have won, crichton throws in one more twist. It is a race aginst time for a federal agent to find a hidden bomb that is a fail-safe, designed to release the gas onto san diego if the primary system is defeated.A heart-stopping sequence occurs when the agent has to race down many flights of stairs to get a bomb-sniffer, and then back up again ,because the elevators in the apartment building where the gas is at have been disabled. Of course ,the agent is able to save the day in the end.
As I write this on september 10, we here in the U.S. are at orange alert as a result of terroristic threats.This movie was made 30 years ago, but with its plot of chemical terrorism ,it could have been made yesterday.
If you like techno/political thrillers, and can find a copy of this movie, it is well worth your time.
I rate this movie at a 9 out of 10!!!!!