Recently I've gotten onto a kick of enjoying unglamorous thrillers, that don't involve wire-work, jujitsu acrobatics, special effects or CGI, and this film fit the bill. It is a sometimes gritty but highly realistic look at what it might take to smuggle someone out of a foreign country without the benefit of a private plane, fancy gadgets or an unlimited expense account.
I don't know what '80's problem' the other reviewer had with this film, bit I thought this was a well-done film that only suffered from the economy of being made-for-TV - those 'shortcomings' aren't about the budget, rather they're about pacing. The opening sequence leaves a question unanswered for far too long, and the final scene, which concerns the death of one of the characters is just a bit too 'pat'. But then again, I may be spoiled by the patience exhibited by Fred Zinnemann in his 'Day of the Jackal'.
In a certain sense, this film is a lower-budget cousin to films like 'Jackal' and 'Midnight Express'. There are lots of dead-drops and hand-offs are the product of the protagonist's advance preparation - if you don't have your eyes open, you'll miss a lot of plot-points. Scott Glenn and Robert Loggia turn in acceptable performances with only a few glitches that are directorial errors, rather than errors made by the performers. If you're in the mood for a thriller that doesn't parade any twenty-somethings - or, for that matter, thirty-somethings - with a fairly intelligent script, by all means, check this one out.
Yet another Scott Glenn film (after 'Man on Fire') worthy of a remake, if only to touch up the script and give the film a proper budget.
7/10
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