The Missing Are Deadly

Despite its stellar cast - Leonard Nimoy, Ed Nelson and Jose Ferrer (two murderers from the wonderful Columbo TV series on show here) - this tepid thriller never gets out of first gear in either entertaining or thrilling the viewer.

The plot, which is built around a boy taking a rat that has been experimented on and has Mombassa Fever, from his father's laboratory has originality on its side but the way the story is developed is painfully uninspiring. The suspense that could have been generated from such a premise never materialises even when the boy goes with his brother and girlfriend on a camping trip.

The characterisations are superficial and the aforementioned highly-regarded actors are left 'treading water.' It's short running time does little to compact the suspense, so much so that the standard viewer is unlikely to care much about whether individuals are saved or not.

A little-seen film that is available on YouTube but personally I would not set aside 75 minutes of my free time to watch it anytime soon. A shame really given the acting talent involved.