We've been told that Cornell Wilde was an avid fitness and environment enthusiast (but this unfortunately didn't seem to help him much in the end). His main intentions may (or may not) have been in the right place but either way he was sadly out of his depth with this subject. I enjoyed (if that's the right word) his 1966 "The Naked Prey" but here, he miss-fires on so many points:- Over the top sensationalistic details of exploitative situations (so-called 70s reality) ~ clumsy editing complete with ridiculous flash forwards ~ everyday family folk who simply walk away after committing crimes they would never have contemplated just a few days before! ~ overuse of typical 70's lab effects in an attempt to gloss up weak images ~ bland el-cheapo music score (except for a main title song nicely performed by Roger Whittaker - and he's not even mentioned in IMDb's credit listing!). It all added up to a messed-up message film in the worst of 70's style. In many ways it's worse than some of the low budget 50's films it emulates.
This movie is yet another sad failure in Wilde's behind the camera career - perhaps had he left the cause for most of the resultant mayhem at chemical warfare, instead of steering the screenplay toward smoke stack type pollution, it may have been more convincing. AND have to say NO, to those that have made the suggestion of a re-make - haven't we had too many poorly made examples already.....(this subject would need a high end - intelligent film maker along the lines of Peter Watkins' brilliant doco style production 'The War Game' from 1965, to do it true justice and there seems little chance of that....)
This movie is yet another sad failure in Wilde's behind the camera career - perhaps had he left the cause for most of the resultant mayhem at chemical warfare, instead of steering the screenplay toward smoke stack type pollution, it may have been more convincing. AND have to say NO, to those that have made the suggestion of a re-make - haven't we had too many poorly made examples already.....(this subject would need a high end - intelligent film maker along the lines of Peter Watkins' brilliant doco style production 'The War Game' from 1965, to do it true justice and there seems little chance of that....)