Marine officer Rob Cutter and his wife Barbara have a son named Johnny. Rob discovers that two newly delivered helicopters in his squadron have crashed because a defective part, a C-ring, has been made of a weaker, less expensive alloy. Before Rob can go public with this, Rob is killed on the orders of corrupt General Howard, who did not want Rob to go public with the defective part. Howard believes that Barbara, who is also a marine, now has the part, so Howard and his henchmen set out to kill Barbara and Johnny and get the part, but Howard is underestimating what Barbara is willing to do to protect Johnny.
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Somebody wrote in a comment on this film, that it offers real suspense ("a real heart-thumper"). I didn't experience anything like that. The plot is so full of wrong clichés it almost hurts. The film really managed to lose it's believability right from the start. A married couple doing war games in an official marine training where everybody acts like in kindergarten and finally being "shot" while kissing each other - come on. The acting of the main characters is also awkward. though one must admit for their defense that they couldn't have done much better with such a script. Please don't let your kids watch this film, like recommended elsewhere. It's full of unnecessary scenes of brutal violence. I watched this film on TV (luckily i didn't pay for it) and it did a good job in bringing me to sleep. The only thrill I had was the hope the flick would get better to the end (where do the 5/10 stars come from?). Well, it didn't...
My one line summary of compelling was done tongue in cheek. The only compelling aspect of this movie was waiting for it to get better! Which it doesn't. Unfortunately this movie set low standards, then failed to achieve them. The concept is poor, the acting poor, the directing poor. Watch it at your peril.
In this exciting action thriller, an artistic widow fights to stay alive after her husband, a Marine who had discovered that the military was well aware that it was placing defective parts in its helicopters, is mysteriously murdered. Believing that the widow, a metal sculptress, has the damning evidence, the killers take off after her and her little son. None of them realizes that she too was a Marine and is more than capable of defending herself. The film is also known as Fatal Chase. -- Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
I not only have seen this movie, I have seen it numerous times and I always think I'm going to have a heart attack or something even though I know what's going to happen. I think the other reviewer -- "anonymous from california" -- is jealous. The fact that a woman is the focus of this movie only enhances the thrills. Anyone who thinks stuff like this doesn't happen in the U.S. Defense Dept. is a moron. I have been collecting newspaper clippings about military helicopter crashes ever since I saw this movie and I file them with the video and I have 11 separate clippings now and I probably missed a few along the way. Military helicopters crash all the time killing their crews -- that's what makes this movie so damned compelling. I watch it and it seems like it's over almost before it began -- it's so fast-moving. And the cast is outstanding -- including the natural performance by the unaffected kid, which is a rarity in itself. Amy Madigan should have had an Oscar for this but it wasn't one of the Hollywood megabucks formula flicks, so of course she was overlooked. This is a perfect movie -- it will cause the hair on your arms to stand on end. It makes you want to jump up on the TV screen and do something. It moves so fast your heart will race. I recommend this to anyone who likes a completely realistic, well-made, outstandingly acted and directed action movie unlike any you have ever seen before or likely will see again. This movie deserves all the praise it received and more and should be on everyone's "must see" list. It is pure escapism of the highest order. Ten-plus-plus.Oh, and guess what? You can watch it with your kids or anybody else because this movie doesn't depend on artificial "shock" factors to grab your attention. All of the the thrills are authentic and there are few, if any, f-words, no nudity, and no gratuitous sex. Run, don't walk, to the video store. And for God's sake, watch it if it comes on Cable -- that's where I saw it first and taped it. If I hadn't, I'd be sick about it because I love watching it. It's as satisfying as a movie could be.(In Hollywood, if you can't write or lack imagination, throw in a few f-words for the juveniles and your fortune is made.)
