The Challenge

I am a 100% combat wounded veteran, and this movie was pretty close, but perhaps this the way we should fight ALL wars from now on!! My 21 year old son found the movie from a man in Canada and I have watched it at least 3 times in the last 2 weeks! GOOD MOVIE. I had been looking for it for about 10 years, now that my son is in computer's at college, one weekend he was home and I ask him to see what he could do to locate this made for TV movie. He did a search and found that a man in Canada said he may have it, would go through his volumes of tapes and send us a copy. Took about 4 weeks, but it got here about 2 weeks ago, and I have it by the VCR to watch it at any time.

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).

"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!

I too, saw this movie when it first aired on ABC television as their Movie of the Week. The cast is very strong with some outstanding character actors taking what could have been a very hoaky movie and execute the story with believability. Mako and Darrin McGavin have an interesting relationship and interact well as they try to kill each other. Neither care much for their governments but, fight to win in spite of that. This movie has been highly under rated. I too, would like to see this movie get released, either back out on to syndication or DVD. A good Cold War movie. It's fun to see movies where actors are just starting out, Sam Elliot is the case in point here. He plays the Army's choice (and the ace up the sleeve) for the Champion. He is the by the book professional soldier who follows orders against McGavin as the unorthodox mercenary who is preferred by the State Department. Brodrick Crawford is the General who would rather not play this game and James Whitmore is the political suit who has to make the whole game work.