Pursuit (1972)

What begins as the routine investigation quickly escalates into a heartstopping race to save millions from certain death in this taut and gripping thriller. Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park ER ) makes an impressive directorial debut (The Hollywood Reporter) in this deadly cat-and-mouse game in which the stakes couldn t be higher! When government agent Steven Graves (Ben Gazzara) investigates political extremist James Wright (E.G. Marshall) he uncovers a diabolical plot to blast lethal nerve gas into San Diego during the Republican Convention. What s worse a computer hacker (Martin Sheen) has provided Wright with a psychological profile to help him outwit Graves. As Wright ingeniously eludes Graves can Graves find a way to stop him before the ultimate nightmare begins?System Requirements: Running Time 74 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: NR UPC: 027616911308 Manufacturer No: 1006992 Product Description

Lacklustre Thriller with Mediocre Acting, Script and Suspense!

Michael Crichton's first directorial effort came in the form of Pursuit, a television film made 1972. Following the critical acclaim garnered with the Robert Wise production of The Andromeda Strain (1971), Crichton decided to give directing a go, adapting the novel Binary (written by Crichton under a pseudonym).

The telemovie stars E.G. Marshall as a political extremist who plans to spread stolen nerve gas in a city where a political convention is being held. Government agents (Ben Gazzara and William Windom) are sent to catch him. Although a talented actor, Gazzara turns in a rather uninspired performance, with the only notable accolades going to Marshall and Joseph Wiseman as Dr. Nordman.

The film which could have been a powerhouse thriller (even Jerry Goldsmith, who has scored many blockbuster films delivers a lacklustre score) becomes a contrived work with mediocre script, poor action sequences and a downright lack of suspense.

In fact, the best thing about the film was the DVD cover from MGM, what looks like a great film really plays out like a two part episode of MacGyver, with an embarassingly shabby restoration by MGM (rivals that of their restoration of Force 10 from Navarone). February 23, 2007

A little-known Michael Crichton classic

"Pursuit" tells the story of a team of Government Agents trying to head off an assassination attempt on President Nixon during the 1972 Republican Convention. This ABC Movie of the Week featured the directorial debut of best-selling author Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park, Prey, The Andromeda Strain) adapting his suspense novel "Binary" (written under a psuedonym) for the small screen. Ben Gazzara and Martin Sheen star with a brief appearance by E.G. Marshall as the bad-guy industrialist behind the plot. "Pursuit" also features a score by the late Jerry Goldsmith, who went on to write music for many of Crichton's feature films. September 4, 2004

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