The Alien

source: The Alien

This is a movie as easy to watch as to forget but it's quite entertaining.The story is very far-fetched,but in this kind of spy thriller including amnesia ,mysterious conspiracies and who-the-Hell am I? subject,it's the rule of the game.George Peppard tries hard to be evil but he does not always succeed;Michael Sarrazin is the perfect victim/culprit (God only knows) .The love story may seem derivative and it is,but there are enough unexpected twists to sustain interest throughout.The working title ("the plastic man" ) was perhaps a better choice than "The Groundstar Conspiracy "but it might have been a spoiler.

Christine Belford, I have never seen before but she had the talent to carry every part she was in. They blew right past the fact that George Peppard who was blasting the big wigs for not vetting their people very well didn't do not catch the protagonist's, lead man. Must have made this before George went for the little cigars.

A super secret space research plant is blown up with all its six responsible members of the team, but one manages to get out of the inferno alive, although there is not much left of him, least of all a face. The story of John Welles, played by Michael Sarrazin, is intriguing indeed, as he finds himself without identity and memory as he is returned to life by extreme surgical efforts supervised by George Peppard as the man in charge of the investigation of the disastrous sabotage. As Michael is the sole survivor and the only one left who could have known about the secrets of the plant and why it was blown up (for the purpose of selling its secrets abroad), George Peppard has every reason to be extremely concerned about his case and bringing not only the survivor back to life but also and above all his memory. This proves more or less impossible. This is the beginning of the plot, which leads into an abyss of mysteries and thickening intrigue unto the very last moment, when everything clears. It's an ingenious story, and although the environment of the film is dreadful, bunker prisons of mammoth overwhelmingness, it is nevertheless highly recommendable, and there is Christine Belford to add some necessary softer touch to the dreadfulness and inhumanity, which unfortunately is the dominating element of the film; and when Michael finally gets even with George Peppard, even that infallible dictator must admit that he deserved it.

...with stunning views of 70's Vancouver beaches,mountains and architecture, this drama has great actors with a suspenseful plot,yet kind of slow. Still a nostalgia treat to watch that is family friendly.

The Groundstar Conspiracy is your average spy thriller with George Peppard as the ruthless investigator from an unnamed government agency and Michael Sarrazin as a scientist who is the only survivor of a lab explosion at a top secret US space program called Groundstar. Peppard knows that Sarrazin is not who he says he is. But how did he get clearance in the place, what may or may not have been taken from the lab that the explosion covered up are the questions Peppard has answers for. Because Sarrazin's memory has been wiped clean. The key character in The Groundstar Conspiracy is Peppard as a ruthless government investigator, a man who could be J. Edgar Hoover if given half a chance. That title phrase comes from Peppard's mouth who would like to bug every bedroom in the country for security's sake, better to ferret out would be subversives. Of course Peppard plugs up his security leak, but Sarrazin, freedom, and Sarrazin's freedom pay a price. The Groundstar Conspiracy has some interesting notions to put forth, but the productions values are pretty skimpy. Christine Belford as a woman that Peppard's using to keep tabs on Sarrazin has her role very poorly defined. The players do their best, but the film's general mediocrity weighs heavily on their work.

This is the kind of movie that Hollywood doesn't usually produce. In Hollywood, there has to be a clear distinction between "good" and "evil" to win audiences and revenue. Unfortunately, this destroys a lot of significant films from being made. Groundstar Conspiracy was atypical in that there was a definite blur between "good" and "evil". None more so than in the character of Tuxan, played by the late George Peppard. Peppard plays a government operative who is maniacally obsessed with protecting national security. You like the guy at the beginning, but when he starts interrogating "The Alien" - played by Michael Sarrazin (in the same year played in "Never Given In An Inch", and has a striking resemblance to the singer BJ Thomas), you like Tuxan much less. "The Alien" allegedly committed terrible espionage crimes, but cannot recall due to amnesia. You immediately empathize with "The Alien" as a guy who has to act tough, but you can tell is a regular guy. The whole point of the movie is that Tuxan is dead-set on capturing "The Alien" at all costs. The ending has a strong moral message, and you have to decide whether you agree with what Tuxan does for a living or not. That is the strength of the movie - you have to decide upon morality for yourself (a powerful dilemma in America during the early 70s).

This is truly one of my all time favourites. I hadn't written a review of it until now because I had been concentrating on newer films, but I just got through watching it again with my Dad. I had almost forgotten how awesome it was. I was VERY fortunate to score the Anchor Bay DVD just before it went OOP. Hard to believe that now it is going for over $70 used, if you can find it. Anyway, George Peppard has always been one of the coolest guys, at least in his Pre-A Team days, and especially early on (check out some of the Banacek episodes if you have a chance. The Pilot is particularly good. And YES... I do have both the Pilot and 2 seasons : ) Michael Sarrazin has always been pretty slick too, and he is good here. But, it is primarily the great story that REALLY makes this film special. Also, I think the director did a particularly good job in keeping the pace and action very tight and the mood suspenseful and involving. I personally feel that it was one of THE very best Thrillers made around that time. It is much better than it's current rating of 6.x in my lowly and wretched opinion. I easily give it a strong '8' HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! (if you can ever get your hands on it : )

This is a great movie to watch especially if you love a good, hard twist in the end. Just when you think you know what the truth is and who the evil bad guys are, the last five minutes takes you in another direction you did not see coming. George Pappard's character's is fantastic as the government troubleshooter willing to go to any lengths to ferret out traitors and moles among top secret government operations. There are a lot of great lines in the film too that helps the viewer to appreciate just how much power the troubleshooter has to protect the country, and scary when you realize he actually needs that much authority to do the job. There is no way they could remake a better movie now unless they filled it with a lot of thrilling action scene or sex scenes. Even if they did, it would not match the psychological thrill of this original.

Just re-saw The Groundstar Conspiracy after some 20 something years. Always been a big fan of both George Peppard and Micheal Sarrazin, so I was looking forward to this flick. Somewhat out-dated today, but for 1972, it wasn't all that bad. There are twists and turns. Plots and subplots. Action, suspense, drama, and even a little romance thrown in. Humor, at least a few lines, would of helped a lot here. There is a nice surprise sort of ending. Clearly this is not a masterpiece of a cold war thriller like The Spy Who Can In From The Cold or The Ipcress File, but The Goundstar Conspiracy is a nice little entertaining film. George Peppard looked great here and Micheal Sarrazin was in his prime. It's not their best roles, but if you're a fan. it's a good way to spend a rainy night.