THE SATAN BUG (1965)

THE SATAN BUG?!! That's a awesome title.  Too bad the rest of the movie wasn't as attention grabbing as that name.

When a top secret biological warfare laboratory in Southern California is burgled of some deadly bioweapons, the people in charge are understandably worried.  Especially when it's revealed that one of the weapons, The Satan Bug, is capable of wiping out every living creature on Earth.  Yikes!  George Maharis is called in to head up the search for the missing vials.  That sounds exciting, but in reality it's pretty tame.  The majority of the events happens in the lab or the surrounding desert and involve a lot of talking and very few moments of actual jumping around doing physical stuff.

Medium pace, average acting by an interesting cast, lots of talking, not a lot of urgency expressed by the people searching for the most dangerous weapon on Earth(!), lame ending, zero tension.  Overall, the premise for the film is great but the execution comes off more like a long episode of a 60's TV show than a full-fledged movie.  Skip it.

EXECUTIVE ACTION (1973)

Now here's an interesting movie.  Released for the 10-year anniversary of John F. Kennedy's assassination, EXECUTIVE ACTION tells the story, from the conspirators point of view, of the justifications and preparations for JFK's murder.  When it was released (Nov. 7, 1973) there was such a backlash that it was quickly pulled from the theaters.  After that it sat unwatched for a number of years before finally being released on VHS in the 80's.

The presentation style is pretty neat because it smoothly blends together old news footage and photographs with acted out scenes.  When the film starts, we're brought into a secret meeting of some government, intelligence and industrial string-pullers talking about the evils of the Kennedys and how if they're not stopped now the entire country is screwed.  Two assassination teams (three shooters each) are put into training.  Now all they have to do is find a fall guy.  Lee Harvey Oswald is selected and a body double is assigned to go around Dallas making memorable impressions of himself at places like a gun store and a shooting range.  Finally the fateful day comes and things go off without a hitch.

I have no opinion on the Kennedy assassination, but this film is thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end.  Quick pace, fascinating subject material, great acting by an outstanding cast.  Even four plus decades after it's release, EXECUTIVE ACTION still has the power to get your brain to thinking.  Recommended.