This film essentially begins with a helicopter pilot by the name of "Steve Brannigan" (Robert Culp dropping off a passenger in a small town known for its freshwater fishing in a lake created by a dam several years earlier. On his return flight, however, Steve notices that a little boy named "Andy Cutler" (Eric Olsen) is lying on the ground and seems to be hurt. That being said, he quickly lands his helicopter to check out the situation and, while doing so, notices that the dam has sprung a leak. Having been reassured that Andy is okay, Steve then tells a friend named "Paul Burke" (Martin Milner) about the leak in the dam. Upon hearing this, Paul becomes very concerned and goes to talk to the mayor of the town "John Cutler" (Richard Basehart) who downplays everything and suggests that relieving pressure on the dam by opening the flood gates would result in a loss of tourist dollars during the busiest time of the year. What he doesn't realize is that his stubborn attitude is going to do a lot more damage to the town than he could ever imagine. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was an okay Erwin Allen disaster film which benefited from a solid cast and some decent suspense along the way. Admittedly, the made-for-television format didn't help this movie all that much but, even so, I suppose it passed the time well enough, and I have rated it accordingly. Average.
