Showing posts with label TV movie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TV movie. Show all posts

Monday, July 28, 2025

Red Alert (1977)

A tense drama set in a nuclear power station which is on the verge of blowing up and irradiating half of the USA!

Alerts are sounded at a nuclear power station, then there are a number of explosions. However, the control computer seems to think there is a radiation leak despite evidence on the ground to the contrary. It appears that a disgruntled employee may have placed bombs around the reactor and these need to be found before they cause a critical accident...

As Frank (William Devane) and Carl (Michael Brandon) desperately try and avert disaster they have to contend with the computer as well as the reactor...

An excellent TV movie that ramps up the drama as the reactor temperate rises. This film has it all, technological chaos, political intrigue and personal tragedy. The film fits so much in and does a very good job with it.

Friday, July 25, 2025

The Hostage Tower (1980)

A daring, if somewhat ridiculous, plot to hold the Eiffel Tower hostage!

Master criminal Mr Smith (Keir Dullea) has an audacious new crime planned, he will take the Eiffel Tower hostage! He recruits a number of top criminals to help him, unfortunately for him though two are agents from Philpott's (Douglas Fairbanks Jr) special crime fighting unit. These are Clarence (Billy Dee Williams) and Sabrina (Maud Carver), though Sabrina is shocked that Mike (Peter Fonda) has also been recruited and he was her instructor in the CIA...

The plot goes off, and an added complication is that Mr Smith has got hold of some deadly laser weapons, and the mother of the US President (Celia Johnson) is also a hostage...

A solid action TV movie (though the premise itself is a little ridiculous). The scenes on the Eiffel Tower are very well filmed, and the laser cannons are pretty cool. Well, lasers are always cool.

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Matt Houston (1982)

The feature length pilot for walking stereotype Matt Houston, the rich Texan oil executive who is also a private investigator!

A business man is killed during the launch of an ocean liner, when the champagne bottle explodes! Matt Houston (Lee Horsley) begins to investigate the case, and of course there are many suspects including the daughter Serena (Barbara Carrera) and the mistress Karen Ann (Jill St John). As well as a case which frequently puts him in danger, Matt is also training on a bucking bronco so he can win a bet and tame a wild horse! Matt is assisted by CJ (Pamela Hensley) and his police friend Vince (John Aprea).

This is all very odd stuff which probably only made sense in the early 1980s. Matt is very genial though and charismatic, this helps with the watchability even if the story and premise is a bit strange. A mixture of cowboy and secret agent. It shouldn't really work but somehow did. After this pilot Matt Houston ran for three seasons.

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Thief (1971)

An intelligent and enjoyable TV movie with a rather shocking ending.

Neal (Richard Crenna) is an amiable soul, keeping himself in shape, trying to get custody of his kid and building a new relationship with Jean (Angie Dickinson). 

However, he has a bit of a dark secret: he is a burglar! He has tried to go straight but his gambling addiction means he now owes money to the mob, much to to the despair of his friend and lawyer Charles (Cameron Mitchell). In order to meet his debts, Neal has to do one more big job, and this one could be his most risky one yet...

A very good story that makes a sympathetic character out of someone who would usually be a villain. The actual robberies we see are very tense, you are drawn in and feel worried for Neal when he is so close to being caught in the act! The ending though will surprise you, but maybe not in a good way.

Thursday, July 10, 2025

Miracle Landing (1990)

A rather excellent TV movie documenting an accident aboard which seems too far fetched to be real but it actually happened!

Bob (Wayne Rogers) and Mimi (Connie Sellecca) are taking their Boeing 737 on a routine domestic flight over Hawaii when part the roof of their airliner rips off! 

Somehow the plane stays in the air but is badly damaged, one of the crew has been lost but somehow everyone else is still aboard. Now the pilots and flight attendant Michelle (Ana Alicia) battle to keep everyone alive before the plane can be safely landed...

A dramatisation of Aloha Airlines Flight 243 which lost a large chunk of it's fuselage at 24,000 feet. This is an enjoyable TV movie with some pretty decent special effects and good performances by the principles. 

Friday, July 4, 2025

The President's Plane Is Missing (1973)

A tense conspiracy - Cold War drama that is somewhat let down by it's ending.

Air Force One crashes in the desert, the President is missing but assumed dead. The hapless Vice President  called Kermit (Buddy Ebsen) is now in charge but under pressure by White House hawks to launch a nuclear strike on China! However, reporter Mark Jones (Peter Graves) is suspicious, he doesn't think the President is missing after all...

So, that is the premise and it is a great one. This is a superb TV movie with good performances and an air of tension throughout (if punctuated where the advert breaks would be have!) 

The only problem with the film is the resolution and the big reveal, which stretches credibility a bit and also relies on a bit of luck. However, this is a really enjoyable watch.

Monday, June 30, 2025

Satan's Triangle (1975)

It is the Bermuda Triangle with a twist!

A boat issues an SOS and a US Coast Guard helicopter is despatched crewed by Pagnolini (Michael Conrad) and Haig (Doug McClure). Haig ends up stranded on the boat due to a storm, and he finds there is a survivor Eva (Kim Novak). 

She tells him of horrible events which took place on the boat after a priest was rescued from the open sea, which resulted in the deaths of the rest of the crew. Yet, what really happened?

An excellent TV movie which presents the familiar (and cool in the 1970s) Bermuda Triangle mystery and gives its an extra supernatural bite. The dark twist at the end elevates this into a movie well worth your time.

Monday, June 23, 2025

Istanbul Express (1968)

A tasty late 60s spy movie.

Agent London (Gene Barry) has been despatched to Istanbul to win an auction for some secret documents, which rival powers are also interested in. London will receive the number to the safety deposit box where the cash is from different people along the way as he travels from Paris on a train, which is protected by Cheval (John Saxon). 

However, is the auction all that it seems and can he keep away from the clutches of the Communists led by Darvos (Senta Berger)?

A good plot though a little ridiculous and convoluted to suit the TV movie format. Quite why he needed to be given the safety deposit number in separate digits is a little silly but does make for plenty of exciting scenes and perils. Highly enjoyable film with a good twist.

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story (1988)

A tense TV movie about a real-life hijacking that took place just a couple of years before.

Chief flight attendant Uli (Lindsay Wagner) thinks her next flight will be a run-of-the-mill run from Athens. However, soon into the flight two Hezbollah terrorists hijack the flight. Castro (Eli Danker) threatens to blow up the plane unless the crew do as they say. 

The plane is soon travelling backwards and forwards between Beirut and Algiers, Uli and the rest of the crew are trying to keep their passengers safe, especially their Jewish ones and US servicemen, while the terrorists demand the release of prisoners...

An excellent film, the low budget helping to keep everything low-key and very believable. The terrorists are brutal, violent but also humanised to build out the characters and not making them 2-D cardboard cut-outs as so often happens with characters like this on screen.

Thursday, June 12, 2025

Time Travelers (1976)

An enjoyable TV movie, if you can overcome the rather ridiculous premise.


A new disease is in danger of getting out of control. The only way to fight the disease is apparently to... travel back in time to Chicago 1871 where the disease once rose before but was successfully treated by a now long dead doctor. Earnshaw (Sam Groom) and Adams (Tom Hallick) are sent back in time. Unfortunately, there is a slight miscalculation and they are sent just days before the great Chicago fire which will destroy everything...

OK, you obviously will consider that if the US government possesses time travel technology you may wonder why a mere virus is now a problem. However, if you suspend enough disbelief than this is a fine little film.

Wednesday, June 4, 2025

The Doomsday Flight (1966)

One of the best TV movies ever made, an excellent tale of high drama at high altitude.

A flight takes off bound for New York, the usual collection of stereotypes is aboard including the arrogant celebrity Ducette (John Saxon). 

However, the flight captained by Anderson (Van Johnson) soon runs into trouble as a mysterious man (Edmond O'Brien) rings the airline to tell them there is a bomb aboard! The bomb is air pressure sensitive, so will explode if the plane drops below a certain altitude. With time running out, FBI Agent Thomson (Jack Lord) battles to try and catch the bomber, though the bomber is getting drunk and throwing everything into chaos...

This is a truly excellent film with a lot of tension and plot twists and turns. Great performances and a well paced and staged plot make this film very highly recommended.

Monday, May 5, 2025

Follow That Car (1980)

A failed TV pilot but still an enjoyable romp.

Loretta (Tanya Tucker) and Sue Lynn (Terri Nunn) are two pretty car mechanics who spend a lot of their time fixing the car of moonshine runner Dusty (Dirk Benedict), who indulges in high speed chases with the police, sometimes involving driving through fire (won't do the paintwork much good). Caught out by the FBI, they are forced to become under cover agents to defeat the crime boss lady Stark (Sally Kirkland)... 

This was one of a number of films in the late 1970s in a sub-genre sometimes called hicksploitation. They were set in the deep south of the USA, usually involving beautiful girls, fast and loud cars and a county music soundtrack! The film is light, packed full of action though no one really gets that badly hurt amid all the car crashes ands mayhem.

It is fine for what it is but the story is a bit too generic and light. Its not hard to see why it never made it beyond a pilot, but perfectly watchable.

Friday, February 21, 2025

A Tattered Web (1971)

A superb TV movie about a good cop's downfall.

Detective Ed Stagg (Lloyd Bridges) dotes on his daughter Tina (Sallie Shockley), and is perturbed when he catches his son-in-law Steve (Frank Converse) messing about with a floozy.

Stagg goes to warn the woman Louise (Anne Helm) off but a fight ensues and he accidentally kills her. Stagg is now desperate to cover things up and not just to protect himself but also Tina as he knows Steve, whom Tina loves deeply, is a prime suspect. How far is he prepared to go?

Quite far indeed, and this is a very enjoyable film with some great performances especially by Bridges. Stagg's downfall from trusted veteran cop is swift and continuous as he tries to make things right, but continually makes it worse. One thing which more could have been made of was the dark past which had given Stagg his demons, it seems a bit bolted on too far into the story to have much impact.

Monday, January 27, 2025

One of My Wives is Missing (1976)

A highly enjoyable TV movie with a delicious twist.

Newly wed Daniel Corban's (James Franciscus) wife has gone missing, the local cop Inspector Levine (Jack Klugman) isn't that interested at what he thinks is just a lover's tiff. 

Then Corban's wife turns up... but Corban says it isn't her! This Elizabeth (Elizabeth Ashley) seems genuine though, she knows the answers to all the questions but Corban is insistent it isn't her. There is something darker going on but maybe not quite what you may expect...

This is a terrific film with a very surprising twist. When you think back at earlier events in the film, the twist just about remains plausible. A well-paced drama, with a great cast, that has layer upon layer. 

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Cruise Into Terror (1978)

A surprisingly good slice of horror cheese on the high seas.

A small cargo ship prepares to make a trip to Mexico, though Captain Andrews (Hugh O'Brian) and first mate Simon (Dirk Benedict) have real concerns about the engine holding up. The passengers are a motley collection of stereotypes (well this is a TV movie after all) including a troubled vicar (John Forsythe) and a driven archaeologist (Ray Milland) who is convinced the Ancient Egyptians made it to Mexico!

After a series of strange incidents including mysterious technical failures, the ship makes it to the location of an Egyptian burial site. A sarcophagus is raised from the sea bed. However, the priest warns that they may have raised the son of Satan from the depths...

This is a great film, good old actors putting in decent performances with a plot that maybe isn't too original but has enough meat on it to work. There are a few genuinely creepy moments too.

Thursday, January 16, 2025

Get Christie Love! (1974)

A sassy cop drama with a blaxploitation feel which led to a TV series.

Christie Love (Teresa Graves) is a copy sent undercover to find the evidence to break up a drug gang led by Paul Stevens. According to intelligence, the crime boss' squeeze Helena (Louise Sorel) knows where the ledger is to provide the needed evidence. Christie discovers though that Helena with her photographic memory is the ledger. She finds a way to get Helena to play ball by tracking down her long-lost son...

This is an enjoyable film with some good early 1970s soul and cool. Being a TV movie it is pretty restrained compared to the usual blaxploitation film but this helps with some intelligence in the plot which means Christie does some good detective work in the film instead of just beating people up with her dubious martial arts skills (though there is still some of that!) 

A good watch.

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Fatherland (1994)

It is the 1960s, but in this timeline Hitler has won, but is the Third Reich quite as secure as it seems?

Having won the Second World War, Nazi Germany is now looking to improve relations with the USA. US reporter Charlie (Miranda Richardson) is over to cover the impending visit of the US President to Berlin, Hitler hoping this will help the Nazis in their endless war of attrition with the Soviets. Charlie is given a lead on a massive secret the Nazis are trying to hide. 

Meanwhile, SS officer March (Rutger Hauer) is investigating the death of a senior Nazi official but his investigation is suspiciously cut off by the Gestapo. Is his investigation linked to the secret Charlie is uncovering? The darkest secret of all, the secret of what happened to the Jews...

An enjoyable TV movie, although an alternate history setting this is more about the investigation of crimes and cover-ups and works very well as a suspensful thriller. It would be nice to see the alternate world explored more though that would have probably needed a full TV series.

Tuesday, October 1, 2024

Disaster at Silo 7 (1988)

An accident at a nuclear missile silo poses a real risk of the missile exploding, with a rather large nuclear warhead on top.

The accident occurs during refuelling of a Titan II missile causing a fuel spill. Team leader Sergeant Fitzgerald (Michael O'Keefe) is called in and immediately realises the risk of the fuel igniting and blowing the while thing up. He tells his wife (Patricia Charbonneau) to get out of town fast with his family, then heads back into the silo...

This is an enjoyable TV movie, it does fall back on TV movie tropes a bit but the action is solid, if stretches the budget a bit thinly at times. The film is based on a real incident that occurred in 1980, and it pretty accurate too so don't read up on the Damascus Titan explosion before you have seen this movie unless you don't mind spoilers!

Monday, September 30, 2024

Death Cruise (1974)

Although the plot is fairly well worn, this is an entertaining whodunnit set aboard a cruise ship with some good twists.


Three couple begin their cruise of the Caribbean, all of them winning their holiday in a competition, though they can't remember entering it. Unfortunately, it isn't long before the first dies, Jerry (Richard Long) apparently falling overboard. It could be an accident though ship's doctor Dr Burke (Michael Constantine) isn't so sure. When the next deaths occur, including the shooting of Jerry's wife Sylvia (Polly Bergen), then Burke is convinced the deaths are all part of a dastardly plan, but who and why?

There have been quite a few films showing a group of being being bumped off one by one by a mystery killer, in great TV movie fashion pretty much everyone in this film has some kind of dark past and secret (except Burke). It is an enjoyable murder mystery film all the same, very competently done, and the final twists are excellent.

Monday, August 26, 2024

High Desert Kill (1989)

Something mysterious is lurking in the woods, luckily for the low budget it is invisible.

Three friends, Brad (Marc Singer), Jim (Anthony Geary) and Ray (Micah Grant) head into the woods for their annual hunting trip. 

However, they find the woods are bereft of any game. Two female campers they encounter mysteriously vanish, and then they start to behave strangely. Its almost as if some weird alien intelligence was conducting psychological experiments on them!

Not a good film though frequently unintentionally hilarious. The acting is rather basic and the story strange at times, though ultimately pretty interesting. You could not call this TV movie "good", it is still worth watching.