I recall reading the novel that served as the basis for this film quite some time ago—back when books were made of paper, naturally. I don't have many specific memories of it, though I do remember thinking it was a decent read. I’ve always enjoyed Robert Shaw’s performances, so when I noticed this movie airing on Paramount Channel, I decided to record it for a future viewing. Yesterday wasn’t rainy, but there wasn't much else appealing on television, so I gave it a try. It’s a pretty good film, at least until the conclusion. It follows a familiar formula—a standard political thriller centered around terrorists plotting an attack within the United States and those attempting to thwart them. One of the protagonists is a foreign agent who holds less conventional views on achieving their objectives. The story isn't particularly original; it might have felt fresher in 1977, when it was made, but overall, its execution is competent. I appreciate that the film, as is frequently the case, doesn’t attempt to excuse or rationalize the terrorists’ actions. Compared to many films of this genre—which is often why I dislike them—this one maintains a relatively impartial perspective on political viewpoints. There are occasional moments where characters question motivations, but for the most part, the movie focuses on the preparations and the pursuit. Generally speaking, the film is well-made. The performances from Robert Shaw and Marthe Keller, who portrays the female terrorist, are quite good—not award-worthy, perhaps, but certainly not poor, and as I mentioned earlier, I’m a fan of Shaw's work. For most of its runtime, we witness the terrorists’ planning alongside the efforts of those trying to expose the plot and prevent it. Brief bursts of action punctuate what is otherwise a measured pace. It’s classic thriller material, and fairly enjoyable to watch. Unfortunately, the ending feels like typical Hollywood—a sudden shift where someone decided to add some action without much thought—and it undermines an otherwise solid movie. Once the plan is revealed, the film devolves into a predictable, low-budget Hollywood production. For example, once a serious threat becomes apparent, why wasn't the stadium evacuated? Surely, they should have gotten the president out of there. Given the circumstances, wouldn’t there have been an agent or officer stationed on the blimp? Why did Kobakov need to run across the entire stadium to contact television personnel—shouldn't there have already been someone with communication capabilities available? And then there’s the blimp chase itself. With the president at risk, all they could manage was a single police helicopter that got shot down and another that was commandeered? Kobakov lying on the blimp, struggling to reach the hook, felt particularly absurd. I don't recall many details from the book, but this ending definitely diminished my enjoyment of the film. It loses at least one star because of it. Nevertheless, I found most of the movie entertaining.

Source on TMDB