The Challenge

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).

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!

"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 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!

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).