holbrook.uci@Rand-Relay.ARPA@sri-unix.UUCP (09/20/83)
From: Paul Holbrook <holbrook.uci@Rand-Relay.ARPA> ----- Forwarded message # 1: BBoard-ID: 256 BB-Posted: 17 Sep 83 00:22:02 PDT (Sat) Date: 17 Sep 83 00:21:47 PDT (Sat) To: movies@UCI Subject: The Final Option From: Stephen Willson <willson@uci> In this movie, Frankie is the name of a female activist/terrorist who, along with Rod, her ex-boyfriend, runs the People's Lobby (not to be confused with the People's Front of Judea or the Judean People's Front) a left-wing grassroots movement dedicated to eliminating nuclear arms from the face of the Earth (or at least, England, where the action takes place). She and some of her more dedicated followers instigate a terrorist action which involves holding various high officials hostage at the American Ambassador's residence in England. The best line in the movie is delivered just after she has taken the place over: the guy playing the American Sec'y of State (an Al Haig clone) says, "What do you think you're doing? Why don't you people go hijack an airplane? Any child can hijack a dinner!" The English secret police known as the SAS are called in, and massacre all of the terrorists without so much as mussing the hair of the hostages. In short, this film had some good action sequences, but the political content, which you may even agree with, was presented in a hokey, simplistic fashion so as to make one want to die laughing, which many of the neo-nazis sitting in the front row of the theatre almost did many times. SW gave the film an 8.8 for the action; JS gave the film a 1 for its heavy political lecturing and a 7.4 for the suspense and action. Others in our group gave two 7's and a 5. The film flows well except for one scene where the Sec'y of State and Frankie argue about philosophies for saving the world; this scene should be removed or at least stream-lined to about 1/25 of its current length. -- Steve Willson -- Jerry Sweet ----- End of forwarded messages