The Challenge

1970
The Challenge
6.9| 1h14m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 10 February 1970 Released
Producted By: 20th Century Fox Television
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

All-out war between the United States and an Asian country is averted when the two sides agree to settle their differences by each choosing a single soldier as champion and having the two men fight to the death on an isolated island.

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blairpom I have been searching for this for decades, not knowing it's title.I also saw this when it first aired in the 70's as a kid and all I could remember was the cool 2 barreled machine gun and someone cutting their hand on a razor blade whilst hiding in a tree.I always thought Darren McGavin was in it but couldn't be sure.I've had racked my brains for so long, thinking it was maybe a Twilight Zone or Outer Limits episode.I've searched the internet for decades and finally found it with the search terms "double barreled machine gun" and "razor blade".Thank you to all that posted on this so that I could finally unlock a mystery that's been nagging at me for decades.Now if i can only find a copy to watch ( there is a low res version on Youtube)
kapelusznik18 ****SPOILERS**** With an state of the art high tech spy satellite landing in neutral waters off the cost of an unnamed communist nation in the Pacific Rim it's decided by both sides the USA & and whoever that unnamed communist country is to each have one of their best men to duke it out on the island and the winner gets control of the object. That instead of having a possibly third world war breaking out between the two countries with thousands of deaths on both sides. The man that the US chooses is former green beret and now high paid mercenary "Blood & Guts" Jacob Gallery, Darren McGavin, and in the red or communist corner the flashy and slippery Yuro played by Mister Marco who's known to hit them, his enemies, when they least expected.This game of cat and mouse on the island between Gallary and Yuro goes on for some five days with either side getting the upper hand where it's decided by Gallary's boss Gen. Lewis Meyers, Brodick Crawford, to sent in reinforcements. Which is against the rules of the battle in bringing in hot shot and gong ho Capt. Bryant, Sam Elliott, to give Gallary, who by now is dying of gangrene, assistance. The same goes for Yuro in order for him to tip the scales in his favor his country sends a new man to help him do in Gallery without his knowing about it.***SPOILERS*** The fact that both sides, the USA & unnamed communist country, were playing dirty to win turned both Gallery and Yuro against them in feeling that it wasn't a fair fight. Still Gallery later finished Yuro off but did it on his own by first blasting Capt.Bryant who was planning to off him, and get the credit of knocking off Yuro, all to himself. As for Youro he took care of his help by tripping and hanging him up to dry. It's later before he was killed by Gallery Yuro tried to talk him into joining forces against their two countries for double-crossing both of them. With his mission accomplished and getting his hands on the high tech satellite, that looked like Maconodo cigar, Gallery passed out and later died from both exhaustion as well as gangrene but only after he threw the satellite in the ocean thus preventing his country, the USA, from getting its hands on it!
nitram578 I have been looking for this film for 25 years. It was on the old ABC Movie of the week several times and I have not seen it since. Everyone that I have ever mentioned this movie to just goes Duh I don't know, or they try and tell me it's a Lee Marvin movie (wrong flick).
mr. sardonicus "The Challenge" is a great little movie, if you can find it. I haven't seen it in quite a few years, and then it was only on television.The premise of the movie is nothing new. The USA and a smaller asian country are both vying for something that landed in the ocean (I can't remember if it was a missile, or space capsule, or satellite, or what), and rather than wage war over the object, they decide to let two men, one from each nation, fight a 2-man war (a surrogate war) on a deserted island to determine who has the right to it.If the premise seems silly, don't worry, the movie is thoroughly enjoyable and the premise soons fades into the background as the two combatants begin their cat and mouse game of survival. Both lead actors, Darren McGavin and Mako, are terrific. As Gallery, an ex US soldier/special operations spook, McGavin is a "screw the rules" mercenary type who the government needs for this mission, but doesn't really trust. Mako is every bit his equal though as the communist (at least, I think that he was a communist) soldier with a whole bag of tricks for his US counterpart.I suppose someone might draw some sort of political conclusions from this movie, but if you are watching it for anything more than the great duel between the main characters, you are missing the point. As made-for-TV movies go, this is a gem.