Terry Richards Movies

Roger Young's made-for-TV adaptation of the Robert Ludlum novel, The Bourne Identity stars Richard Chamberlain as Jason Bourne, who washes up on the beach and is cared for by a doctor. Bourne has no memories, but is intrigued enough to investigate why he has the number of a Swiss bank account on his thigh. As Jason travels to various European cities following clues about his past, he begins to discover that his actions match those of the feared international terrorist Carlos. The book was filmed a second time in 2002 by Doug Liman with Matt Damon in the title role. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Brigitte Nielsen appears as warrior woman Sonja, who unites with a couple of other gladiator types (including Arnold Schwarzenegger) to overthrow the evil queen Gedren (Sandahl Bergman) and avenge the deaths of Sonja's family. This story descends from the writings of Robert E. Howard (author of Conan). ~ Rovi

Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is no ordinary archeologist. When we first see him, he is somewhere in the Peruvian jungle in 1936, running a booby-trapped gauntlet (complete with an over-sized rolling boulder) to fetch a solid-gold idol. He loses this artifact to his chief rival, a French archeologist named Belloq (Paul Freeman), who then prepares to kill our hero. In the first of many serial-like escapes, Indy eludes Belloq by hopping into a convenient plane. So, then: is Indiana Jones afraid of anything? Yes, snakes. The next time we see Jones, he's a soft-spoken, bespectacled professor. He is then summoned from his ivy-covered environs by Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott) to find the long-lost Ark of the Covenant. The Nazis, it seems, are already searching for the Ark, which the mystical-minded Hitler hopes to use to make his stormtroopers invincible. But to find the Ark, Indy must first secure a medallion kept under the protection of Indy's old friend Abner Ravenwood, whose daughter, Marion (Karen Allen), evidently has a "history" with Jones. Whatever their personal differences, Indy and Marion become partners in one action-packed adventure after another, ranging from wandering the snake pits of the Well of Souls to surviving the pyrotechnic unearthing of the sacred Ark. A joint project of Hollywood prodigies George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, with a script co-written by Lawrence Kasdan and Philip Kaufman, among others, Raiders of the Lost Ark is not so much a movie as a 115-minute thrill ride. Costing 22 million dollars (nearly three times the original estimate), Raiders of the Lost Ark reaped 200 million dollars during its first run. It was followed by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1985) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), as well as a short-lived TV-series "prequel." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Heroic earthling Flash Gordon saves the world from the nefarious Ming the Merciless in this lavish, intentionally campy adaptation of the famous sci-fi comic strip. The story is as basic as space operas get: Ming (Max von Sydow) has developed a plan to destroy the Earth, and Flash (Sam J. Jones) and his attractive companion, Dale Arden (Melody Anderson), are called upon to stop him. Along the way, Flash must battle Ming's goons and the temptations of a luscious space princess. Previously the basis for a more straight-faced 1930s adventure serial, Flash's story is mined here for exaggerated, cartoon humor by screenwriter Lorenzo Semple Jr., a central figure in the similarly campy '60s Batman television series. The simplistic plot mainly serves as an excuse for spectacular sets and cartoonish action sequences, all set to an appropriately over-the-top rock score by Queen. Certainly not a film to turn to for serious excitement, fine performances, or character development, Flash Gordon has nevertheless developed an appreciative cult of fans who admire the film's humorous approach and the detailed, colorful production design. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

The made-for-television The Man in the Iron Mask was, at the very least, the twelfth film version of Alexandre Dumas' novel The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later - the second sequel to his Three Musketeers. The title character is Philippe (Richard Chamberlain), claimant to the throne of France. Supporters of Philippe's vile twin brother, King Louis XIV (also Chamberlain), kidnap Philippe, lock him in a dungeon, and obscure his identity with an iron mask. But aging D'Artagnan (Louis Jourdan), who'd virtually raised Philippe from boyhood, reunites his old musketeer cohorts to rescue Philippe, overthrow the wicked Louis, and place the "rightful heir" on the throne. Emmy nominations went to scripter William Bast and costumer Olga Lehmann. Photographed by the great Freddie Young, Man in the Iron Mask was first telecast January 17, 1977 ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

1,000 Convicts and a Woman was the lurid alternate title to the British skinflick Fun and Games. Alexandra Hay, whose two talents are on display throughout, plays the daughter of prison warden Neil Hallett. She abuses her position by assuming other positions with prisoners and guards alike, then swearing them to secrecy lest she broadcast ugly rumors about them to her unsuspecting daddy. Tired of being mere sexual playthings, two convicts set a trap that will show Hay for the strumpet that she is. Politically correct? Don't be silly. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Kidnapped avoids the Hollywoodized interpolations of previous film versions of the Robert Louis Stevenson novel, choosing instead to adhere to the story as written. Scottish orphan David Balfour (Lawrence Douglas) is betrayed by his wicked uncle Ebeneezer (Donald Pleasance), who arranges for David to be kidnapped and sold into slavery so that Unk can claim his inheritance. The boy is rescued and befriended by Alan Breck (Michael Caine), a Scottish rebel fighting on behalf of his country's independence from the British (did we tell you that the film takes place during late 18th century?) Both David and Alan undergo several exhilarating adventures before Alan comes to realize that the rebellion is doomed from the start, and David foils his uncle's greedy machinations. Kidnapped was one of several "classic" adaptations released by American-International during the early 1970s, and arguably the best of the bunch (try sitting through AIP's Wuthering Heights sometime). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

An amoral American makes his way through genteel British society in this drama. Marco (Michael Thomas Parks) is a self-centered would-be artist from the United States who is living in England while supposedly studying his craft. Marco is close friends with Timothy (John Leyton), a native studying medicine, but when Marco meets Timothy's girlfriend Sarah (Jennifer Hilary), he makes plans to steal her away from him. Marco seduces Sarah at a party thrown by Timothy's mother Carol (Jennifer Jones); when Carol happens upon the couple in flagrante delicto, she decides that Marco is beneath contempt and shares this opinion with her son; Sarah moves in with Marco shortly afterward. Timothy forgives Marco after he comes to his aid in a fight, and Carol begins to think that she may have been wrong about the young man. But Marco decides that he's tired of Sarah, and he plans to break up with her; when Timothy gets wind of this, he rushes out to give her the bad news in advance. Marco, however, plans to meet Sarah at Timothy's house; when instead he encounters Carol, he decides to add her to his list of conquests. The Idol was scripted by Millard Lampell, a dramatist and musician who was once a member of the folk singing group The Almanac Singers with Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi