Human Bomb (1998) (TV)

Director:

Anthony Page

Writer (WGA):

Lionel Chetwynd (written by)

Release Date:

26 May 1998 (Germany)

Genre:

Action | Thriller

Plot:

An unhappy male takes a classroom of children and their teacher (Patsy Kensit) hostage with a set of explosives strapped to his body.

Plot Keywords:

Hostage

Cast

Jürgen Prochnow	...	Gerhardt Dach
Patsy Kensit	...	Marcia Weller
Robert Spitz	...	Lud
Dorian Healy	...	Jon
Nicholas Day	...	Police Commissioner
Kate Harper	...	Harriet
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Chris Armstrong	...	Engineer
Alisa Bosschaert	...	Journalist #2
Francesca Brown	...	Girl 5
Peter Cant	...	Boy 1
Harry Capehorn	...	Boy 5
Thomas Copeland	...	Boy 4
Yasmin De Suze	...	Girl 7
Amanda Drewry	...	Jeanne
Kim Fenton	...	Doctor
James Gaddas	...	Franck
Justin Girdler	...	Boy 2
Gregory Hall	...	Boy 3
Carli Harris	...	Girl 2
Paul Humpoletz
Dexter Koh	...	Boy 6
Murray McArthur	...	Policeman #1
Connor McIntyre	...	Policeman #2
Richard Moore	...	Stedsen
Anthony Naylor	...	Dietrich
Georgia Neville	...	Girl 6
Martin Ontrop	...	Passport Officer
Elizabeth Richmond	...	Girl 1
Martin Ronan	...	Journalist #1
Emily Ruck-Keene	...	Girl 3
Bob Sherman	...	Bob
Terry Smith	...	Swat Team Leader
Cydney Uffindell	...	Girl 4 (as Cydney Uffindell Phillips)

Also Known As:

Die menschliche Bombe (Germany)
Die menschliche Bombe - Todesangst im Klassenzimmer (Germany) (rerun title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some violence and cruelty.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

UK | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Griffin

This film failed to grip as much as it should have done

Since this movie was based on true events, and centred around a group of small children and their young teacher - Patsy Kensit - being held hostage by a crazed fanatic it should have had me on the edge of my seat, but it didn't. The main problem was that the crazed fanatic was a really bad actor, and I didn't believe in him for one moment. Most of the children were more frightening than him, mainly because their acting was dire. Surely they could have cried a bit more convincingly. They should have been made to watch the rushes, that might have helped. On the other hand, Prochnow was tailor-made for his role as a policeman still haunted by the memory of the murder of the athletes at the Munich Olympics and determined not to let the same thing happen again, and it was interesting to learn how tight-fisted and devious governments are willing to be even when children's lives are at stake. If the ending is true then it's amazing, but I suspect a little dramatic licence may have been taken here. An okay watch in the end, but it should have been better.