Review of The Cassandra Crossing (1976) by Bill T — 19 Jan 2014

An attempt to combine two popular 1970s genres, the political thriller and the disaster movie. It even has an all-star cast. The plot is simple, a terrorist attack on the American wing of the International Health Organization (which is strangely well-guarded by U.

S. Marines) ends up a terrorist infected by a strain of a deadly virus. Said terrorist stows away on board a transcontinental luxury train and infects some of the passengers. The passengers are the usual types you might find in similar movies.

By this point in his career Burt Lancaster specialized in playing the right-wing authority figure and his U.S. Army colonel is able to wield incredible influence over America's NATO allies and even persuades the (then) Communist Polish government to let the train cross over into their territory.

I suspect in real life several Polish and Soviet armored divisions would have blocked the train's entry into Eastern Europe. Luckily, on the train is a brilliant surgeon (Richard Harris) and his estranged novelist ex-wife (Sophia Loren) who take charge of the situation.

The biggest kick I got was in watching a young, longer-haired Martin Sheen playing the younger gigolo lover of Ava Gardner (who does not look as good as Sophie in this one). Martin looks and acts a lot like his son Charlie in this one.

There are lots of arguments between Lancaster and Harris over the radio as the train heads closer to a rickety bridge across a river, the crossing that gives the film its name. formulaic but enjoyable.