The Domino Principle (1977)

★ 5.9 1h 38m IMDb
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Roy Tucker, a Vietnam war veteran with excellent shooting skills, is serving a long prison sentence when a mysterious visitor promises him that he will be released if he agrees to carry out a dangerous assignment.

The Domino Principle

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Cast

Gene Hackman
Gene Hackman as Tucker Died 2025 · San Bernardino, California, USA Eugene Allen Hackman (January 30, 1930 – c. February 18, 2025) was an American actor. Hackman made his credited film debut in the drama Lilith (1964). He later won two Academy Awards, his first for Be...
Candice Bergen
Candice Bergen as Ellie Age 79 · Beverly Hills, California, USA Candice Patricia Bergen (born May 9, 1946) is an American actress and former fashion model. She won five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for her portrayal of the title character on t...
Richard Widmark
Richard Widmark as Tagge Died 2008 · Sunrise Township, Minnesota, USA Richard Widmark (December 26, 1914 – March 24, 2008) was an American actor of films, stage, radio and television. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his...
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney as Spiventa Died 2014 · Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor, vaudevillian, comedian, producer, and radio personality. In a car...
Edward Albert
Edward Albert as Pine Died 2006 · Los Angeles, California, USA Edward Albert was an American film and television actor. The only son of actor Eddie Albert and Mexican actress Margo, he was also known as Edward Laurence Albert and Laurence Edward Albert (to furth...
Eli Wallach
Eli Wallach as Gen. Reser Died 2014 · Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA Eli Herschel Wallach (December 7, 1915 – June 24, 2014) was an American film, television and stage actor, who gained fame in the late 1950s. For his performance in Baby Doll he won a BAFTA Award for B...

Audience Reviews

tmdb76622195 4/10 Sep 16, 2020
Gene Hackman infamously took the lead role in this leaden political thriller for the paycheck, turning down such unseen arthouse fare as "Jaws," "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," and "Apocalypse Now."

Hackman is Tucker, a Vietnam veteran serving time in San Quentin with his cellmate and buddy Spiventa (Mickey Rooney, gunning for a Supporting Actor Oscar nod that he did not get). Tucker is approached by the mysterious Tagge (Richard Widmark), who offers to spring Tucker out of jail if he will simply follow a few orders, and eventually kill a man in cold blood. Tucker's first concern is for his wife Ellie (Candice Bergen, who pops up halfway through the film in an atrocious wig). Tucker gets involved in what would today be described as "the deep state," who always seem to be a step ahead of him in order to get him to do their bidding. Of course, as with any mediocre political thriller, Tucker doesn't play by their rules.

While Hackman is one of my favorite actors, this film is not up to par. The name cast is fine, look for Eli Wallach, Edward Albert, Jay Novello, and Majel Barrett in support, but Adam Kennedy's story is dull. Based on his novel, the film makers try to get us to care about Tucker and Ellie's original crime that got the both of them locked up. The screenplay can't generate any suspense or paranoia, instead we get endless scenes of Hackman wandering around and looking over his shoulder a lot. The viewer is kept in the dark as much as Tucker is, so once Tucker receives his "assignment," I really didn't care. There's a twist about the assassination that completely invalidates the film's plot, rendering the hour and forty minutes a waste of time. Director Stanley Kramer has done some classic films, but he stumbles here; what should have been some glorious action set pieces are mishandled.

"The Domino Principle" tries to squeeze itself into a crowded genre that included "The Parallax View," "The Eiger Sanction," "The Odessa File," and other similarly titled films. Too bad the film makers seem as interested in the proceedings as we are. (* *) out of five stars.

Rated (R), and contains physical violence, gun violence, some gore, profanity, some sexual references, alcohol and tobacco use

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