George Kennedy stars as a family man working as a computer analyst for the American military in Italy. One night he comes home to find his wife and kids brutally murdered. He then uses the military’s state-of-the-art computer equipment (well, for the ‘70s anyway) to track down the killers. Kennedy eventually pinpoints the culprits to a terrorist organization and sets out to get even.
The “Human” Factor was the final film for director Edward (The Caine Mutiny) Dmytryk. He’s an Old Hollywood kind of director, so his style doesn’t really mesh with a ‘70s thriller. I mean this might contain the only car chase scene in history where the hero actually stops at a red light. To be fair, even the best action director would’ve had a difficult time making a foot chase with the slow and husky Kennedy exciting. The grocery store shootout in the finale is pretty badass though, but it’s ultimately too little too late.
This must’ve been really high-tech stuff back in the ‘70s, but watching it now is a different story. The long scenes of George hooking up his computer to a phone line and frittering away at his keyboard really bog things down. Some may get a tinge of nostalgia for all the antiquated computer technology on display. Those hoping for a legit thriller are going to be shifting in their seats.
Not to mention the fact that Kennedy is sorely miscast in the lead. I mean when you think “computer analyst”, big George isn’t exactly the first guy who comes to mind. Another problem is the fact he spends too much time at the keyboard and not enough time kicking ass. It’s also a little unfortunate that Kennedy’s high-tech computer is called “9/11”. The supporting cast, which includes John Mills as Kennedy’s coworker and friend and Arthur (Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man) Franz as a general, is solid though.
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