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"The Challenge" is a great little movie, if you can find it. I haven't seen it in quite a few years, and then it was only on television.

The premise of the movie is nothing new. The USA and a smaller asian country are both vying for something that landed in the ocean (I can't remember if it was a missile, or space capsule, or satellite, or what), and rather than wage war over the object, they decide to let two men, one from each nation, fight a 2-man war (a surrogate war) on a deserted island to determine who has the right to it.

If the premise seems silly, don't worry, the movie is thoroughly enjoyable and the premise soons fades into the background as the two combatants begin their cat and mouse game of survival. Both lead actors, Darren McGavin and Mako, are terrific. As Gallery, an ex US soldier/special operations spook, McGavin is a "screw the rules" mercenary type who the government needs for this mission, but doesn't really trust. Mako is every bit his equal though as the communist (at least, I think that he was a communist) soldier with a whole bag of tricks for his US counterpart.

I suppose someone might draw some sort of political conclusions from this movie, but if you are watching it for anything more than the great duel between the main characters, you are missing the point. As made-for-TV movies go, this is a gem.

I too, saw this movie when it first aired on ABC television as their Movie of the Week. The cast is very strong with some outstanding character actors taking what could have been a very hoaky movie and execute the story with believability. Mako and Darrin McGavin have an interesting relationship and interact well as they try to kill each other. Neither care much for their governments but, fight to win in spite of that. This movie has been highly under rated. I too, would like to see this movie get released, either back out on to syndication or DVD. A good Cold War movie. It's fun to see movies where actors are just starting out, Sam Elliot is the case in point here. He plays the Army's choice (and the ace up the sleeve) for the Champion. He is the by the book professional soldier who follows orders against McGavin as the unorthodox mercenary who is preferred by the State Department. Brodrick Crawford is the General who would rather not play this game and James Whitmore is the political suit who has to make the whole game work.

I am a 100% combat wounded veteran, and this movie was pretty close, but perhaps this the way we should fight ALL wars from now on!! My 21 year old son found the movie from a man in Canada and I have watched it at least 3 times in the last 2 weeks! GOOD MOVIE. I had been looking for it for about 10 years, now that my son is in computer's at college, one weekend he was home and I ask him to see what he could do to locate this made for TV movie. He did a search and found that a man in Canada said he may have it, would go through his volumes of tapes and send us a copy. Took about 4 weeks, but it got here about 2 weeks ago, and I have it by the VCR to watch it at any time.

I was a dumb 15 year-old kid when this movie was aired and, boy, did it ever impress me. Not only was it a mind-tripper at the time as far as plot and action, but this piece of art introduced me to Darren McGavin, treated me with the likes of James Whitmore, Mako and Broderick Crawford, and presented future biggies Sam Elliot and Adolph Caesar (who knew?!) Also appearing is the great Joe Bernard, supporting actor icon. Neat twists throughout the flick and its ending just about killed me. I rate this work as essential viewing in the same vein as "Fail-Safe" and "Ice Station Zebra". Sure do wish I could feast my eyes on it again. Come to think of it, I'll bet something like this has probably already happened in our lifetime. Chilling, man!

I was lucky enough to tape this movie off broadcast 20 years ago. A great basic story line and well made for a TV movie. Gallery (DM) gets nifty toys to play with from a waterhole poison kit to a dual side by side Madsen M50 submachine guns loaded with full loads and bird shot. Mako does a good job but doesn't have the high tech gizmo's that gallery has. Both sides cheat by sending in another soldier each to finish the job, with our two stars being more honorable disposing of these interlopers.

All this over a Bomb carrying satellite that crashed and the bad guys got to first and are sitting on it like a hen in the middle of the ocean.

Good bang for the buck spent. If this ever comes out on DVD I sure will get a copy. A good movie to get lost in on a lazy eve.

I saw this movie when it first came out and have also been trying to find a copy. This is an excellent movie with a great interaction between Mr. McGavin and Mako. The movie seemed to make some bold statements for the time (l970) when it was produced. I definitely look forward to seeing this again. I wonder if anyone knows whether this is still being shown around in re-runs. I highly recommend this movie and feel this might have drawn a type of cult following much the way 'Tribes' did when it was first released about the same time period. I feel that this was an excellent anti war allegory which left the viewer sensing the moral to the story.

Bomb-carrying satellite from the US which crash-lands somewhere in the Pacific, starting a surrogate war between North America and China. Each country picks one soldier in an island death fight; the US government chooses game hunter Darren McGavin to take on China's pick, played by Mako. Juvenile war-games from writer Marc Norman--and perfect fare for budding G. I. Joes--though there was apparently trouble behind the scenes: the direction is credited to the nonexistent "Allen Smithee" (TV veteran George McCowan reportedly did the honors).

I have been looking for this film for 25 years. It was on the old ABC Movie of the week several times and I have not seen it since. Everyone that I have ever mentioned this movie to just goes Duh I don't know, or they try and tell me it's a Lee Marvin movie (wrong flick).

In this movie, the US as well as China and one of its allies are trying to get to some lost experimental military hardware in the Pacific. However, instead of coming to blows, the Chinese have a proposal-- each side send a soldier to a barren island and the winner take all. The US agrees, as they don't want a showdown with China. However, their choice of men is inexplicable...Jacob Gallery (Darren McGavin). This aging mercenary was chosen over any in the Special Forces and you see this as a weakness in the script. Why Gallery?! Why a 48 year-old actor?! Apparently, the director didn't like what he saw either and chose to do what some directors when they hate their films...they refuse to put their name on it and instead it says 'Allen Smithee'--a euphemism widely understood within the industry. You can only assume he did this in protest to meddling by the production company--such as re- editing his film or making him shoot a different ending or something like that.

Now is this to say it's a bad film? No. It's not bad apart from the stupid casting decision. However it IS slow. After all, with such a simple plot it's hard to pad it all out to a movie time slot. Overall, worth seeing but hardly one of the best installments of "The ABC Movie of the Week".

I saw this movie when it originally aired in 1970, and I loved it. I also remember the trailers from the week before that centered around the weapon Gallery used (a double barreled sub-machine gun),really cool ! The idea that two countries would decide to settle their differences and avoid all out war by choosing their toughest soldier to fight it out on a deserted island was great. Sadly, both sides plot to stack the deck and keep an ace up their sleeve, a starkly realistic twist. I've been trying to get a tape of this movie for twenty years, and will gladly pay a reasonable finders fee for a copy.

McGavin was 47 when he made this terrific little film.

No TV actor was as good at these roles as McGavin. He was the TV equivalent of Steve McQueen or Lee Marvin, both of whom were also veterans of TV. "The Challenge" could have made a strong theatrical movie for McQueen or Marvin. It could still be remade today.

McGavin had already starred in four television series at this point.

McGavin had starred the previous season in "The Outsider", as ex-con private investigator David Ross. This was one of the finest private eye series. Roy Huggins, who created and produced the series, later retooled it as "The Rockford Files".

After "The Challenge", McGavin made two other exceptional Movies of the Week: "Tribes" and "The Night Stalker". These were better films than most movie stars were making at the time.

When the "Gallery" pilot didn't sell, McGavin immediately signed on for another pilot where he played a spy named Killian. The TV movie was called "Berlin Affair". When someone asked him if the film was cloak and dagger, McGavin said it was more "girl on arm". That pilot didn't sell either.

I read once that McGavin turned down the lead in "Hogan's Heros" (1965-1971). He could have been dazzling in that role.

But in 1965 McGavin did sign on to star in a pilot of "From Here to Eternity". McGavin would have played the Burt Lancaster role of Sergeant Warden. Another tantalizing might have been.

I have been searching for this for decades, not knowing it's title.

I also saw this when it first aired in the 70's as a kid and all I could remember was the cool 2 barreled machine gun and someone cutting their hand on a razor blade whilst hiding in a tree.

I always thought Darren McGavin was in it but couldn't be sure.

I've had racked my brains for so long, thinking it was maybe a Twilight Zone or Outer Limits episode.

I've searched the internet for decades and finally found it with the search terms "double barreled machine gun" and "razor blade".

Thank you to all that posted on this so that I could finally unlock a mystery that's been nagging at me for decades.

Now if i can only find a copy to watch ( there is a low res version on Youtube)

excellent flix got a copy and saw it again since first saw it in 1970 convinced me to join USMC make Force Recon and spend 30 years in taking care of pidgeons if anyone has a real good copy or knows where to buy one besides dvds entertainment would really appreciate it.Gallery is the quint essential character study of a 20th century special forces operative I cannot believe this movie was never put on DVD and available to the public would love to see it on my 1080p home theater love the ending when he finally realizes that it is not worth it that your country will betray you and you are just another brick in the wall just like it was with James Cann in Rollerball!

I watched this on tv when it first aired and have dreamed about it on and off ever since. The kind of film that lingers in memory that you never can forget. Would love to watch it again but don't know how. Does anyone have access to a copy?

I saw this flick when I was a crazy, mixed up 15 year old kid and simply fell in love with it. ABC Movies Of The Week were quite the thing back then, and this little gem was truly a piece of work. Armed with steely ambition, the film's intense performers serve it very well. MCGAVIN, WHITMORE, CRAWFORD, an unknown but outstanding SAM ELLIOT, the Oscar nominated ADOLPHE CAESAR who died before his time, and awesome JOE BERNARD in another fine support bit. Over the years, I've thought about this motion picture and wondered why it stuck around inside me. If only they'd make films like this again. They probably won't. If only conflicts could be settled like this. Perhaps they have. SEE THIS MOVIE!

I saw "The Challenge" when I was 18 years old. I loved it then and I still do. It remains one of my favorite to this day. War was a BIG part of the 1960s and 70s, so this type of movie had a HUGE impact on how I felt about war. I loved Mako in all of his movies! Darren McGavin was also an actor I enjoyed seeing on film and TV. The premise of the movie is very close to being the perfect solution to world war. The characters' were believable and somewhat likable. Both have their own unique personalities but soldiers none the less. I found myself wanting to side with both men not the soldier, and hating the fact that war will never be controlled or abolished.

I remember seeing this movie a long time ago, so it was probably when it first aired on TV in 1970. No one I've mentioned it to believes me that it existed--they all seem to think I'm talking about the Lee Marvin movie. I was fascinated by the twin sub-machine-gun used by Darren McGavin, like nothing else used in movies before or since. McGavin and Mako are superb in their acting and portray a very realistic duel between opposite camps. I, too, would very much like to get a copy of this movie, which does not seem to be published in either VHS or DVD (I could handle either). I'd be willing to pay any reasonable fee plus handling charges if anyone here can oblige me.

During an escalating conflict, in an attempt to avoid a present nuclear threat, two hardy combatants from the opposing nations are tasked to fight one another on a small, somewhat inhospitable pacific island. 'The Challenge' is another exemplary, compellingly acted, rewardingly cerebral, hard-hitting, 70s TV Sci-actioner. The Challenge has a fine cast: Darren McGavin, Mako, James Whitmore, Paul Lukas, Broderick Crawford, a young Sam Elliot, with leads, McGavin, and Mako proving wholly convincing. This gripping, agitprop ABC movie-of-the-week highlighting the innate futility of war has a robust narrative that remains entirely relevant to this very day. With the constant threat of jungle-borne malaise, booby traps, toxic water, sudden death by ambush, and military duplicity, the tension is relentless, as the two fatigued warriors reach the unjust, and inevitably nihilistic endgame.

This is one of my very favorites. I've mentioned it frequently to friends, but no one ever seems to have seen it. I'd love a personal copy of it, if anyone has ever taped it. If so, contact me at and I'd gladly send the price of a blank tape and the postage.