I just watched PURSUIT and was surprised of how much it reminded me of 24. A government agent pursuing a terrorist and attempting to stop an attack on a major American city, played out almost in real life, complete with a countdown timer that appears before the commercial breaks. Only difference is, PURSUIT was suspenseful and entertaining.
shareAh, come now, 24 is entertaining. Although this years edition seems to be lacking a LOT from the previous years--it is still one of the best tv shows going.
As for the movie....
I first saw(most of) this movie only about 8 years ago, in the summer of 99, while on vacation in M.B.south Carolina. It intirgued me a lot, and I sought to find it. I finally got it in '02, on a VHS from Ebay. Watching ALL of it then, AFTER the 9-11 events, really amplified the theme of the movie!!
It DOES remind me of 24 a lot, I reckon. (perhaps Imagine stole the "ticking on-screen clock" idea from this movie..) I fouind it to be one of those movies that is HARD to "stop on the middle", and was glued to the action. Since it is the current times, a CW attack on an American city is something that strikes a nerve, considering the current climate of terrorism.
The way that this movie movie moves along also reminds me of 24. There is NO "fluff" in this movie(IOW, "subplots" about/involving the characters in the movie, such as hobbies, love interests or other such matters). It is ALL business!! From the initial theft of the nerve gas tanks to the final "card being played" , this movie never really gets light-hearted at all. I am sure if it was done today--that would be VERY different!!
Then, too, there is the early computer technology used in the film. The triggering device for the nerve gas, with all of its flashing lights and switches, is typical of early '70's computers depicted on screen. However--this does not detract from the film, as the computer seems to "know" how to defeat any attempt to disarm the gas before release and to act accordingly to insure it is released on time.
I think this is a TV movie that needs to be redone, on the BIG screen TODAY. If ever the plot of CW or CBW terrorism was valid--it is NOW!! I feel that Pursuit would make a great action thriller today, and one that would drive home the serious message of the true threat of CBW terrorism.
Just watched it after many years (look for it in the $3 bin at Big Lots!), and the same parallel occurred to me. Nice to skip the torture and shootings, though.
One quibble: the beginning shows the gas being stolen from two army trucks. In the novel, it involves two thefts, because for safety, the gases would be shipped separately.
"Well, there it is."