The Chairman (1969)

A Nobel Prize winning scientist (Gregory Peck) is lured into going to Red China by the U.S. government in order to secure an agricultural enzyme created by the Chinese that can help defeat world hunger. But what he doesn't know is that a chip placed inside him is an explosive device. Based on the novel by Jay Richard Kennedy and directed by J. Lee Thompson (GUNS OF NAVARONE). This is a well done espionage thriller with a rather far fetched premise that belongs in a James Bond movie instead of a more "realistic" spy movie. There's not much depth to it, it's strictly an entertainment and on that level, the film delivers. Thompson whips up some intense moments during the film's last twenty minutes or so. I'm a huge Gregory Peck fan so his presence in the movie was a big bonus for me. Despite her top billing alongside Peck, Anne Heywood (THE FOX) has less than five minutes of screen time. There's a terrific score by Jerry Goldsmith that elevates the film. With Arthur Hill, Conrad Yama, Keye Luke, Alan Dobie, Helen Horton and Francesca Tu.