Night Chase

"Night Chase" is, in my opinion, a bit of a rarity--a made-for-TV movie from the 1970s that is actually very good. I've never had much use for made-for-TV movies in general, except for the first few "Rockford Files" features. Other than those, most of the ones I've seen are relatively poor and, in some cases, embarrassingly inept. For example, one that I've reviewed in the past is "City Beneath The Sea," which was (barely) worth 90 minutes to watch once but then found its way into my public library donation pile. There are some good made-for-TV movies, of course, but my overall impression of the genre is pretty negative, and I think long and hard before I buy any of them.With that said, I bought "Night Chase" mainly because my wife is a David Janssen fan. Neither of us had seen, or even heard of, this movie before it showed up as an Amazon recommendation. It's actually very good--head-and-shoulders above any other made-for-TV movie that I can think of. Janssen plays a familiar role that seems to suit him very well, that of a fugitive from the law for a crime that, in this case, he DID commit. The plot is straightforward. He gets stuck at LAX when all flights are grounded due to fog, so he hooks up with a cab driver (Yaphet Kotto) to take him to San Diego, where he plans to cross the border into Mexico.There are enough literal and figurative twists and turns along the way to keep the story rolling along in high gear, and the gritty, high-contrast cinematography adds a great sense of realism to the trip. To their credit, the actors don't act like they're acting--there's an impression that hidden cameras had filmed a real event, which is high praise indeed. The locations are stars of the show as well. Having just returned from a trip to San Diego, I recognized some of them, which added to my enjoyment of the movie. The characters are well defined and memorable, especially Elisha Cook, Jr., who steals the scene as a crusty coffee-shop proprietor. You'll remember him as the gunsel that Humphrey Bogart slaps around in "The Maltese Falcon." If I had to come up with a negative comment, I'd say the sequences in the San Diego Zoo are a little too long, and the pace slows drastically near the end. On the plus side--and this is NOT a spoiler--the ending itself was not what I expected.The DVD transfer is excellent, so crisp and sharp that you can see the film grain, which adds that sense of gritty realism that I mentioned. The sound is clear and at a relatively even volume level, except for the occasional gunshot, and the dialogue is understandable, except for a few times when it's a little hard to decipher Janssen's trademark mumbling. There are no repeat NO extras--no commentaries, no subtitles, not even a real menu. If you don't have any choice other than "Play," should it really be called a "Menu?" Anyway, "Night Chase" is an excellent, well-made, enjoyable movie, and much better than I expected of made-for-TV fare. It's definitely a keeper. If you're a David Janssen fan, you should add it to your collection.

Collecting David Janssen movies

Poor, long suffering David Janssen is on the run again. But this time he is guilty! After shooting his wife's lover, Adrian Vico decides to head for Mexico where she is about to get a quickie divorce. His intention is to save her the trouble. When he finds the airport fog bound he decides to make the journey from LA to Mexico by cab. Money is no object. Unsuspecting cab driver Ernie Green (Yaphet Kotto) accepts the fare and we, and they, head into the night.I love this film, and have done so since I recorded it (on BBC2) in 1982. The two main stars are at the height of their respective games. Jansen gives one of his best performances as the grim, determined fugitive; Kotto is superb as the reluctant but ultimately sympathetic "hostage".I won't spoil this one with too much detail but there are several encounters along the way with supporting players including Victoria Vetri, William Katt and Elisha Cook Jr who gives a brilliant turn as a ratty, bad tempered coffee shop owner. "I'm not a waiter, I own the joint!" he shouts at Vico.Janssen and Kotto are sublime to watch. The chemistry between the characters is what keeps this way above average for a TV movie. The incidental music from Laurence Rosenthal is highly memorable and adds a great deal to the tense atmosphere as the drama unfolds. Jack Starrett's direction is stylish; however, there are some real continuity stinkers here and there but I only know them so well because I have watched this film so many times. All I will say is watch the balls on the pool table carefully when Janssen and Vetri are playing. And envy Janssen his ever-lasting half bottle of whisky which seems to be able to refill itself between scenes!A brief word about the DVD itself: the picture and sound quality is OK nothing more. The packaging is very basic. It doesn't matter; the film, which is uncut, is a keeper. I envy anyone who has not seen this. You can watch it any number of times and spot something new each time. If you are a Janssen fan or a Yaphet Kotto fan (and I am both) you really cannot go wrong.

1970's thriller! Reminds us of a different time in our lives, that quite frankly I prefer in many ways.

POOR QUALITY picture and sound. No titles, no menu at all except "play", no minute/second interval available to return to a particular place in the movie. Sound muddled and often obscured by loud, clashing music. I could not hear most of what Janssen was saying due to poor sound quality. I probably can't return this since it's been opened and viewed, but I feel totally ripped off by the poor production job, and it will certainly influence any decision to buy more movies from Amazon.

Decent movie, but as much as I love David Janssen's work, this was just OK.

Finally released the right way. VHS version had a different title

Night Chase is a television production following the successful 4-year run of The Fugitive. David Janssen is againon the run ... forcing a taxi driver to drive to the Mexican border to flee a murder charge. The characters conflictand yet bond because of their individual situations. Yaphet Kotto co-stars as the cabbie. Written by WU2014

Very pleased with the dvd

A wonderful made for TV movie, starring the late, great David Janssen, one of my all-time favorite actors. I was so pleased to find this movie here at Amazon. One that I had never seen before.Dave is still "on the run" in this one, albeit in a very different role than his most famous one: The Fugitive. If you are a fan of his work, don't pass this one up. It's a winner!Highly recommended!