Cassandra Crossing

This is not one of those soulless, uninteresting all-star packages of the '70s, like "The Towering Inferno" or one of those pseudo-artsy "entertainments" like "The French Connection"; it's a vigorously directed, tightly edited thriller that grabs you by the throat right from the opening sequence and keeps its grip throughout. Sure, it contains most of the expected disaster-movie cliches (peculiar love-hate relationships between characters played by big stars of the era, useless supporting roles - especially Ava Gardner's -, etc...), but the directing is so efficient, and Burt Lancaster is so convincingly hateful, that you find yourself completely absorbed. In my opinion, a first-rate movie, with a spectacular finish. (***)

I haven't seen this one in years and it's surprising how much actually stays in your memory. Luckily for me, a TV station that specialises in old movies and television dramas decided to show this flick. It was the star-studded cast that drew me to it, along with the storyline - I do like a good disaster film.

The first thing I have to do is praise the opening sequence as being one of the best I've ever seen. It's a flight across Geneva to the World Health Organisation. It's such a steady and beautiful shot that it really sticks in my mind.

We then find out why we're at the WHO. A terrorist group are about to break in and try to blow up the building. However, their attempt is foiled. Though, in the process, a couple of them are doused in a liquid that contains a fatally infectious disease. One of the two is shot on site, though the other makes it out of the building to escape into a nearby rail station and an awaiting train. Once onboard the audience is privileged to watch the spread of the infection as the escapee stumbles through the carriages.

What adds to the power of the film is the interconnecting stories of the travellers on the train. Some are hiding secrets, some are hiding from life, some are trying to make the best of the life they have, and some are falling in love. The diversity of characters and their realism only adds strength to the story and film. Though I will say that the strongest and best character, for me, was Herman Kaplan who is brilliantly portrayed by Lee Strasberg.

On the whole, the directing and story is pretty average, though there are a few good scenes, such as the helicopter pickup - this gets you on the edge of your seat. Then when we're coming to the climax the continual flashes to the dilapidated bridge do add an air of expectation and tension.

If there is one drawback it's the length of the film. It could have done with losing a few minutes, just to tighten up the pace a little. But that's it. The ending is superb and actually sent a shiver down my spine and left a sarcastic smile on my face.

This is a pretty good film to watch on a Sunday Afternoon when you're podged with Sunday Dinner. I would recommend this one to all the thriller and conspiracy lovers out there in the world, well worth a view or two.

Cassandra Crossing, The (1977)

*** (out of 4)

Sophia Loren, Richard Harris, Martin Sheen, O.J. Simpson, Lee Strasberg, Ava Gardner and Burt Lancaster pick up paychecks in this 70's disaster film that seems to have been forgotten over the years. Three terrorists try to blow up a hospital in Geneva but things go even worse when one comes into contact with a Bubonic Plague and escapes capture. The sick man then jumps on board a train and soon a government man (Lancaster) isn't going to let anyone off. A doctor (Harris) and his ex-wife (Loren) try to help those on board but things take an even bigger turn when they learn they have to cross a bridge that won't hold the weight of the train. It seems this film hasn't the reputation of some of the more popular disaster films, which is a little surprising because this here is a pretty good movie in its own right. Perhaps the government propaganda gets in the way for some but this was only one minor issue in the film. For the most part it featured some pretty fun performances, a tense story and an ending that I didn't see coming. Simpson as a preacher was pretty funny before the twist as was Sheen playing the boy-toy to Gardner. Gardner seems to be having the time of her life playing the diva and barking orders to the younger man. Both Loren and Harris turn in fine performances and I thought their melodrama actually worked pretty well. Lancaster plays a guy you really love to hate and he too delivers a fine performance. The film certainly deserves its R-rating as we also get some pretty graphic violence along the way so be sure you're not watching the edited down PG version. In the end I'm really not sure why this film seems to have been forgotten but fans of the genre will certainly want to check it out. While it's certainly more political than some of the films that came before it, there's still plenty here to enjoy.

Ah, the disaster films of the 1970s......every natural (and some man-made) disaster had its movie. Earthquakes, fires, tidal waves, floods (courtesy of a made-for-TV movie simply called Flood!), volcanoes, hurricanes, doomed airliners, ships, bombings, subway hijacks......the one hold out was tornadoes, but that was remedied two decades later in 1996. The disaster movies that remain somewhat relevant in the 21st century are actually the ones involving terrorists, hijacking, snipers, and bomb plots--movies like Rollercoaster, Black Sunday, Juggernaut, Two-Minute Warning, The Taking of Pelham 1, 2, 3, and The Cassandra Crossing. But as the case with other (more "escapist fare") disaster movies, the checklist applies. Ensemble, all-star (for the time) casts: Check. Generous running time, usually over two hours: Check. Multiple plot lines: Check. Impressive special effects (created the old-fashioned way, before CGI--models): Check. O. J. Simpson: Check. An actor from Hollywood's golden era (usually William Holden, Charlton Heston, or Burt Lancaster): Check.

In The Cassandra Crossing, the terrorists who kick off the plot are actually ecoterrorists, who attempt to to blow up a WHO-like organization in Geneva. They fail, but end up being exposed to a deadly virus, and one of them winds up on a trans-Europe train. The virus spreads and the military and other officials decide the best way to contain the outbreak is to re-route the train to a decrepit bridge in Poland, likely to collapse once the train passes over it, and the authorities can then blame the tragedy on the defective bridge. And this being a '70s disaster movie, expect multiple storylines based on the eccentrics on the train.

George P. Cosmatos, who would later direct Sly Stallone in two big hits (Rambo: First Blood Part II in 1985 and Cobra a year later), as well as the lesser-known underwater disaster film Leviathan, skillfully directs the proceedings and maintains tension throughout as we see the train hurtling toward its doom. Cosmatos also includes several effective images of the dangerous bridge taken from various angles - the audience realizes there is no way in hell the train could make it across this thing. The climax is graphic, slapping this movie with an R-rating; also somewhat unusual in that most '70s disaster movies got PGs (exceptions being the equally gritty Taking of Pelham 1,2,3, Two-Minute Warning, and Black Sunday).

You never turn to a disaster movie for heavy intellectualism, but this one is definitely one of the better and more timeless examples of the subgenre.

A trainload of European and American travelers becomes doomed when a medical terrorist infected with bubonic plague stows away and brings the deadly disease on board. As a way of taking care of the mess, the military solution, which wins out over the medical one, in your typical heated and ongoing debate between a colonel and a doctor, is to seal the train shut, occupy it with well-armed soldiers dressed in white jumpsuits and gas masks, and then send them all to the "Cassandra Crossing", a high metal bridge spanning a river far below, that's just waiting for a reason to collapse. However, a passenger rebellion is organized that's quite exciting, as OJ Simpson (a cop) teams with Richard Harris (a doctor) and Martin Sheen (a heroin addict and the companion of Ava Gardner), to free the train, and somehow disconnect the cars. Given a little more drama and attention, the rebellion could have really made this film great, but the film fits into a suitable conclusion that doesn't do much justice to the issues it deals with.