On Dangerous Ground (1996)

When they learn of a secret covenant on the status of Hong Kong signed by Mao in 1944, Chinese factions, the British government, Hong Kong businessmen, AND the Mafia all try to be the first... See full summary »

Director:

Lawrence Gordon Clark (as Lawrence Gordon-Clark)

Writers:

Jack Higgins (novel), Christopher Wicking

Stars:

Rob Lowe, Kenneth Cranham, Deborah Moore

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

When they learn of a secret covenant on the status of Hong Kong signed by Mao in 1944, Chinese factions, the British government, Hong Kong businessmen, AND the Mafia all try to be the first to take hold of it. Tough man Sean Dillon, pressured by Brigadier Ferguson into working for the British, does it his own way. But we see a new twinkle in his eye when he looks at sweet Su Yin... And can it be that pretty Inspector Hanna Bernstein is beginning to grow fond of Sean?

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Plot Keywords:

mafia | two part tv movie | terrorism | based on novel | 

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Genres:

Action | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Last film of Peter Gilmore.

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Goofs

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.

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Connections

Followed by Midnight Man (1997)

User Reviews

A convoluted and ultimately pointless plot

Rob Lowe sleepwalks through this convoluted plot, with barely a glimmer of an expression ever crossing his face. I think he was meant to be an ex-IRA man who now worked for the highest bidder, but if so he'd lost his accent along the way. Most of the cast were equally underwhelmed by their parts, but with the main Italian villain being called, in all seriousness,'Don Giovanni', this is hardly surprising. He had a German nephew - Jurgen Prochnow, who did show plenty of expression but mostly of the 'how did I get into this film?' kind - and Prochnow had a German stepdaughter from his dead wife, which made the Italian mafia link a little tenuous. The plot was merely an excuse for lots of different locations, and ultimately a pointless exercise. However, along the way the English were shown to be pinstripe suited men who hid swords in their walking sticks, the Irish all drank a lot and danced to the sound of fiddles in sawdust floored pubs and the Scots were barking mad, rolling their eyes and saying 'och aye the noo' at every possible opportunity. The Chinese were in it too, all speaking Oxford-educated style English. It's very long, which is lucky for Prochnow as it gave his hair time to turn from grey to blond. This was the most interesting thing in the movie, but it rates high for amusement, albeit of the wrong kind.

Details

Country:

Canada UK Luxembourg

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 May 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jack Higgins' on Dangerous Ground

Filming Locations:

Birmingham, West Midlands, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Centurion, Carousel, Telescene Film Group Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color