A 1972 American-Canadian Conspiracy Thriller film directed by Lamont Johnson about a government official (George Peppard) who investigates a break-in at a research facility and finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy.
The cast also includes Michael Sarrazin, Christine Belford, Cliff Potts, James Olson, Tim O Connor, James McEachin, and Alan Oppenheimer.
It was released on July 21, 1972.
Tropes for the film:
- Amnesiac Hero: The desperately wounded John Welles staggers away from a sabotaged lab in which several other people are found, so incinerated that they will never be identified. Is he the saboteur or an innocent victim? When they repair his wounds and reconstruct his face (based on the ID badge he was wearing, which may not have been his) - he claims to have amnesia and escapes to avoid being locked away for life. Eventually, the audience finds out he is not the saboteur, who died on the operating table, but bait put out there to capture the rest of the spies. His permanent amnesia was induced.
- The Film of the Book: Loosely based on The Alien by L.P. Davies.
- Tagline: "Only if you like gripping suspense and surprise endings".
- Water Torture: Welles (who has lost his memory) is captured by the villains, who torture him by strapping him to a board and dunking his head under water. They are trying to force him to regain his memory so that they can obtain vital information from him. One wonders why they don't just hit him over the head.
