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Power Play (1978) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
4.9/10   110 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 7% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Martyn Burke
Writers:
Martyn Burke (writer)
Edward N. Luttwak (novel)
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Release Date:
1 November 1978 (UK) more
Genre:
Thriller | Drama more
Tagline:
Their objective... to steal a nation! Their plan... to strike without warning! Their agreement... to share the spoils! Their only obstacle... each other!
Plot:
A group of military officers, angered and frustrated by the corruption and repression of the current government... more | add synopsis
User Comments:
Catch it if you can - this is an undervalued movie more

Cast

  (Credited cast)
Eugene Amodeo ... Photographer
Harvey Atkin ... Anwar
Dick Cavett ... Himself
Jon Granik ... Colonel Raymond Kasai
David Hemmings ... Colonel Anthony Narriman
Barry Morse ... Dr. Jean Rousseau

Peter O'Toole ... Colonel Zeller

Donald Pleasence ... Blair
Gary Reineke ... Aramco
Eli Rill ... Dominique
Alan Rosenthal ... Plane Pilot
Marcella Saint-Amant ... Mrs. Rousseau
August Schellenberg ... Minh

Chuck Shamata ... Hillsman

George Touliatos ... Barrientos

Alberta Watson ... Donna
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Coup D'État (Canada: English title) (working title)
Le jeu de la puissance (Canada: French title) (dubbed version)
Operation Overthrow
State of Shock
more
Runtime:
Germany:102 min | USA:102 min
Country:
Canada | UK
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Sound Mix:
Mono
Company:
Cowry more

Fun Stuff

Quotes:
Colonel Zeller: Those are not our tanks out there. They are my tanks. more

FAQ

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1 out of 2 people found the following comment useful:-
Catch it if you can - this is an undervalued movie, 24 October 2006
7/10
Author: timothy-lewesgibbon from United Kingdom

Just to correct an error in the details; this same error is repeated in most movie books/websites.

"Power Play" is not based on a novel, but on an academic book: "Coup d'Etat- A Practical Handbook" by the distinguished academic Edward Luttwak; London- Allen Lane The Penguin Press 1968

This book is an entertaining critique of the coup - chiefly in Latin Amerioa and Africa - its practical aspects and the economics of repression and revolution.

This possibly explains why the movie fails to a certain extent as a gripping drama. However the individual performances are excellent.

Nevertheless, it is worth watching.

And after more than 20 years the book rewards a re reading. Incidentally; I last read the book during the coup against Gorbachev in 1991; and applying Edward Luttwak's principles - I judged - rightly as it turned out- that the coup would fail because the promoters of the coup had not secured or neutralised all their objectives. They should have read the book or watched the movie!

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Related Links

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