Best movie of this year hands down!

Don't listen to the negative reviews

best movie i've ever seen.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

The made for TV thriller "Pursuit" has some interest in not only is it based on a Michael Crichton novel (written under a pseudonym), but that Michael Crichton directed it, making his directorial debut. But there is additional interest to be found here. What will strike many modern day viewers is that despite the subject matter, the tone of the movie is significantly restrained. There isn't a swift pace or a feeling that things are going to really fall apart at any second. Though that may not sound like the right tone, it actually is convincing; we see that the government agents are well trained and professional, so they of course are conditioned not to panic. The movie also works well because of its short length (74 minutes) - there's no padding on display here, and the story moves briskly as a result. The only real flaw the movie has is that it doesn't hide the conspiracy very well - most viewers will have a reasonable guess as to what is being planned long before the government agents find out. But even though you will probably guess what is happening early on, the movie remains very effective.

E.G. Marshall is a political activist who intends to release nerve gas into San Diego, where the Republican national convention is being held. Ben Gazzara and his team are assigned to capture him and stop the gas from being stolen.Written and directed by Michael Crichton, this was a low-budget TV movie, though it deserved better. What's always interesting about any films with a political slant -- even back to 1930 -- is that politics haven't changed, and most of the time, the speeches and situations remain timely. This movie is no different. Just listen to what E.G. Marshall has to say.It was wonderful to see Ben Gazzara, William Windom, Joseph Wiseman, and a baby-faced Martin Sheen in this - all of them were very prevalent in the TV of my youth, as was Jim McMullan, who had dark hair then.Very suspenseful.

The good: From a historical perspective, very interesting to see all the classic elements of a Crichton story taking shape: medical mystery, technological danger, and a literal on-screen ticking clock. Big fans of Crichton's work (like me) who seek out this movie will definitely be able to appreciate it. And you can also see how Michael got better over time.The bad: Yes, I realize this was done for TV. And yes, I realize that watching in 2010 I have the benefit of seeing many slicker productions. But the camera work here could only be described as "70s cliché." Zooming in to a character while they deliver an important line is overused (there couldn't have been that many commercials right?). At the end, there is a wrap up discussion done in a long shot that drains all emotional impact from the lines. The Netflix DVD I watched was not remastered in any way, so there were jumps in the film and audio quality was abysmal.Gazarra and Marshall are fine actors, although I feel that Marshall was a bit miscast here. He seemed like he could play a good leader/planner but not so much a doer. Martin Sheen played his part very well, but was under-used.Maybe it's mainly a budget issue, but consider that WestWorld was just made a year later - what a better made movie that is! A few simple tweaks (and more money?) would have made this OK movie great.

I saw this movie on TV when I was 12 years old...missed the start of it but couldn't stop watching it once started. I never new the name, or have seen it since. BUT, I forever wanted to see it again from start to finish. I saw enough of the plot and *especially the ending* to make me a lover of action thrillers for life! *****spoiler!!!*****The ending occurs in a hotel room with the binary nerve gas stored in compressed air cylinders and the cylinders are ingeniously painted with *explosive paint* so that when the device explodes, the two harmless gases are mixed and will be blown out of the nearby window. I clearly remember the race by the agents to get to the device in the booby-trapped room (two police officers were laying dead outside the door already from unknowingly setting off the door-tamper mechanism) A truly most-excellent thriller--especially for TV at that time! As was said in other comments, I'm really surprised that no one has remade this into a modern movie with all of the new special effects available now as opposed to the early 70's. If you can rent this or if it comes on again, I highly recommend viewing--just don't be eating popcorn at the end--you might choke while holding your breath!--happy watching!