Review of The Big Game

Clearly, "Corridors of Blood" director Robert Day and his writers bit off more than they could chew with this modern day thriller that features sci-fi mind control elements. You'd think that the security surrounding this operation would have been air-tight. The loose thread is the playboy son of a brilliant scientist, Jim Handley (Brendan Boone of "The Hanged Man"), who gets duped by Chinese Communists led by the devious dame (France Nuyen of "The Joy Luck Club") and her associates who want the technology that Jim's father, Professor Pete Handley (Oscar winner Ray Milland of "The Lost Weekend") has created. Our heroes are aboard a ship heading to an island to test the equipment when Jim helps the villains climb aboard the ship and nearly take it over! The way that the Chinese get aboard the ship foreshadows the methods of the Somali pirates. Like the Somalis, these black clad minions cruise out of the blue and climb aboard without a trace of trouble. Mind you, this is after Jim has informed his father's bodyguards, Leyton van Dyk (Oscar winner Stephen Boyd of "Ben Hur") andBruno Carstens ( Cameron Mitchell of "Texas Detour") about them. Again, the plot simply doesn't make sense. You'd think Leyton and Bruno would have arranged a reception for the commandos after Jim let them reach the ship. Instead, our heroes do nothing, and the Chinese Communists gain access and start shooting everybody in sight. The 'nobody wins' ending leaves a bittersweet aftertaste. Director Robert Day keeps things cracking in this above-average, 90 minute nail-biter.