Flashpoint (1984)    TriStar/Action-Thriller    RT: 95 minutes    Rated R (language, violence)    Director: William Tannen    Screenplay: Dennis Shyrack and Michael Butler    Music: Tangerine Dream    Cinematography: Peter Moss    Release date: August 31, 1984 (US)    Cast: Kris Kristofferson, Treat Williams, Rip Torn, Kevin Conway, Tess Harper, Jean Smart, Kurtwood Smith, Miguel Ferrer, Guy Boyd, Mark Slade, Roberts Blossom, Terry Alexander, Joaquin Martinez, Dick O’Neill, Henry Max Kendrick.    Box Office: $3.8M (US)

Rating: ***

 Every once in a while, a movie sneaks into theaters, goes unnoticed by ticket-buyers and is gone in a week. This was definitely true in summer ’84 when the action-thriller Flashpoint hit theaters on Labor Day weekend, the same weekend as the controversial Bo Derek sex dud Bolero. That one inexplicably stuck around a little while.

 There are a lot of reasons Flashpoint died a quick death at the box office- e.g. almost no advance marketing, absence of big stars, lukewarm reviews, etc. I think it deserved more attention than it got. I went to see it on a dull Sunday afternoon at the Barclay Square Theater. I didn’t even bother inviting anybody to join me because I’m the only one that knew of it apparently. There was only a smattering of people in the theater. I thought it was a good albeit unexceptional flick. It was the first theatrical film to be produced by HBO (Home Box Office). It had me wondering if it was supposed to be a made-for-cable movie that found its way into theaters. It was weird seeing the old HBO intro on a movie screen. It’s also one of the first films to be distributed by the newly-formed TriStar Pictures. I mention these factoids as a point of interest for film trivia addicts like me.

 Texas border control agent Logan (Kristofferson, A Star is Born) makes a startling discovery while planting motion-detection sensors in the desert. He uncovers a jeep containing a skeleton, a high-powered rifle and $800,000. He sees it as a godsend, a way to finally get out of a job with an uncertain future. With the sensors, many agents will probably end up losing their jobs. His partner Wyatt (Williams, Prince of the City) is reluctant about this plan and insists they try to find out where the money came from. They start looking into the matter which is when federal agents arrive, ostensibly to help nab a major drug trafficker. It’s clear by their behavior something else is going on, that the border cops uncovered something that was meant to stay buried. Without revealing too much, I’ll tell you that their discovery may be linked to the JFK assassination. Obviously, the government would prefer that it didn’t get out. This means that Logan and Wyatt have to be silenced …. permanently!

I love a good conspiracy thriller and that’s exactly what Flashpoint is. It’s solid B-movie entertainment highlighted by strong performances by the two leads and an electric score by Tangerine Dream. I’ve always felt Kristofferson is a highly underrated actor. He’s a macho kind of guy, ideal for gritty action films like this. Williams is another great actor who doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. The two men work well together here. The supporting cast is good as well. Nobody plays a bastard like Kurtwood Smith (RoboCop). Here he plays Carson, the head fed who knows more about Logan and his past than he should. Rip Torn (Extreme Prejudice) plays a Texas sheriff who knew Logan’s father and renders the guys some assistance in their informal investigation. Tess Harper (Tender Mercies) and Jean Smart (Designing Women) show up as a couple of women Logan and Wyatt hook up with early in the movie. What an amazing coincidence that they happen to be telephone operators who can trace a couple of old phone numbers for the guys.

 Director William Tannen (Hero and the Terror) maintains the suspense throughout. Flashpoint held my interest the whole time. It has a couple of good action scenes and a decent storyline. It’s a low-key kind of movie meaning it’s not one of those in-your-face type actioners. It’s more understated than many fans of the genre would prefer. I suppose that’s another reason it failed at the box office. This is what I call a hidden treasure. Audiences passed on it, leaving it to die-hard movie geeks like me to discover. I still like it to this day. That could also be because I’m one of those folks that truly believe that the JFK assassination was a huge conspiracy. As such, I find movies like Flashpoint very entertaining and extremely interesting. It’s well-worth a look if you haven’t seen it.