The Kidnapping of the President (1980)

A South American quasi-revolutionary/guerilla/terrorist and a misled, admiring girl compatriot manage to kidnap the U.S. President during a diplomatic visit to Toronto. With a nondescript ... See full summary »

Director:

George Mendeluk

Writers:

Richard Murphy, Charles Templeton (novel)

Stars:

William Shatner, Hal Holbrook, Van Johnson

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Shatner	...	Jerry O'Connor
Hal Holbrook	...	President Adam Scott
Van Johnson	...	Vice President Ethan Richards
Ava Gardner	...	Beth Richards
Miguel Fernandes	...	Roberto Assanti
Cindy Girling	...	Linda Steiner
Elizabeth Shepherd	...	Joan Scott
Michael J. Reynolds	...	MacKenzie
Gary Reineke	...	Deitrich
Maury Chaykin	...	Harvey Cannon
Murray Westgate	...	Archie Standler
Ken Anderson	...	Willis
Sully Boyar	...	FBI Chief
Patrick Brymer	...	Jesus Freak
Jackie Burroughs	...	Woman Agent

Storyline

A South American quasi-revolutionary/guerilla/terrorist and a misled, admiring girl compatriot manage to kidnap the U.S. President during a diplomatic visit to Toronto. With a nondescript armored truck, crudely yet somehow elaborately rigged with high explosives (and the President trapped inside), the two terrorists keep the Secret Service at bay until in the end, Assanti is killed and Shatner has to find a way into the truck anyway.

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Plot Keywords:

truck | secret service | terrorist | explosive | u.s. president | 

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Taglines:

The world's most powerful man in the hands of the world's most dangerous terrorist!

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Genres:

Thriller | Action | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Crown International Pictures

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 August 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rare Cult Cinema

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 3,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Presidential Films, Sefel Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie was made and released about five years after its source novel of the same name by Charles Templeton was first published in 1975. The novel's original title was "The Hostage". The film is the first and only ever theatrical feature based on a story by author Charles Templeton.

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Goofs

When the president is first handcuffed and taken hostage, chaos erupts and the people playing crowd extras can clearly be seen laughing and smiling as they are crashing through the barricades.

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Connections

Featured in Terror on Tape (1983)

User Reviews

It looks like one of those films when the canadians where learning how to make them

When the government was helping create a film industry here in Canada, it followed this pattern b film with a named actor. This time the name actor is William Shatner, and the b action film is about terrorist grabbing the president. Unbelievable at the time, but after 9/11 James Bond plots become more believable every week. It is entertaining, and I like Shatner in it, I forgotten abit of the ending. Entertaining, but a B film. 5/10