On Dangerous Ground (1996) (TV)

Director:

Lawrence Gordon Clark

Writers:

Jack Higgins (novel)
Christopher Wicking (writer)

Release Date:

13 May 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller

Plot:

When they learn of a secret covenant on the status of Hong Kong signed by Mao in 1944, Chinese factions...

Plot Keywords:

Mafia | Two Part TV Movie | Terrorism | Based On Novel

Cast

Rob Lowe	...	Sean Dillon
Kenneth Cranham	...	Brig. Charles Ferguson
Deborah Moore	...	Hannah Bernstein
Jürgen Prochnow	...	Carl Morgan
Ingeborga Dapkunaite	...	Asta
Daphne Cheung	...	Su Yin
Claude Blanchard	...	Don Giovanni
Yvonne Antrobus	...	Lady Kate
Richard Rees	...	Yuan Tao
Sam Mancuso	...	Marco
Peter Gilmore	...	Murdoch
Gilbert Martin	...	Angus
Adrian Cairns	...	Prof. Bellamy
Antony Zaki
Richard Orr	...	Michael Ahern

Also Known As:

Jack Higgins' on Dangerous Ground

MPAA:

Rated R for violence.

Runtime:

USA:165 min

Country:

Canada | UK | Luxembourg

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

South Korea:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Birmingham, West Midlands, England, UK

Company:

Carousel

Trivia:

Last film of Peter Gilmore.

Goofs:

Continuity: Just before Dillon enters the water to go diving in the loch, his snorkel is on the right side of his head (the wrong side), however in the underwater scenes the snorkel is on his left side (the correct side), and when he resurfaces it is back on his right side.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Thunder Point (1998) (TV)

A faithful adaptation that could have been terrific

As the book was superb but it isn't quite there almost but not quite. It needed a little more of a jolt in the action/drama department and that is one characteristic that isn't present in most Jack Higgin's book-based movies which is a crying shame if you ask me. Rob Lowe is once again Mr. Sean Dillon, professional IRA terrorist contractor turned British Government assassin whose job this time is to recapture a vital document called the Chungking Convenant which allowed the British to keep Hong Kong for another 100 years. The problem is that the Mafia wants it as well and they dispatch a seemingly legitimate businessman and his beautiful daughter to beat Ferguson to the punch. I like the fact they kept the original cast members in these films to give them some stability and credibility which is unusual for the vast majority of TV movies. It is also amusing that another reviewer couldn't understand that Prochnow's daughter wasn't his real daughter she was his wife's real daughter and yes the Italian bad guy's name is Giovanni what did you think his name should be Ralph or Edward? The poor devil couldn't even figure out that Prochnow's character was HALF Italian not full Italian. Not a film you are going to watch routinely or even twice for that matter the point is to watch it so you can say you have if someone ever asks you. That's it end of story.