Michael Crichton's "Coma" Thrills

Geneviève Bujold as Dr. Wheeler.

Bestselling author Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain) directed seven films during his career. They ranged from very good (Westworld, The Great Train Robbery) to very lame (Looker, Physical Evidence). From a directorial perspective, his best work may be Coma (1978), a smart medical thriller which Crichton also adapted from the popular novel by his friend Robin Cook.

Geneviève Bujold stars as Dr. Susan Wheeler, an accomplished surgeon at a progressive Boston Hospital. After her best friend becomes brain dead following a routine abortion, Susan makes a startling discovery. She learns that a statistically high number of hospital patients have fallen into comas and then transferred to a mysterious facility called The Jefferson Institute. She shares her findings with her boyfriend (Michael Douglas), an ambitious fellow surgeon, and her department head (Richard Widmark). Both men dismiss Susan's concerns and imply, in a condescending manner, that Susan is being too emotional because of her friend's death. 

Michael Douglas as Mark.

Crichton's screenplay works well as both social commentary and paranoid mystery. As one of the few female doctors in the hospital, Susan has to work harder than her male counterparts. She is hampered by her unwillingness to play the "politics game"--unlike her boyfriend Mark, who lobbies blatantly for a promotion. 

Bujold comes across as cold at times, which makes her character both interesting and distant. It's an effective contrast to Michael Douglas, who makes Mark likable and supportive (well, up to a degree...his main focus is always on himself). In fact, Douglas is so good that one can't be sure whether Mark is a good guy or a bad guy heading into the climax.

Crichton can't cover all the film's weaknesses, of course. Any mystery movie buff will recognize that a key part of Cook's plot was lifted from the 1946 classic Green for Danger. As with many movies with hospital settings, there is an abundance of empty, darkly-lit hallways and rooms (apparently, there is no night staff). And, worst of all, the family of Susan's friend is never shown--apparently, her husband doesn't care that his wife is brain dead and has been shuffled off to another facility.

However, those are minor complaints about a satisfying thriller. Crichton flashes his writing talent with a delightful scene in which a pair of pathologists argue about the best way to murder someone without evidence appearing during the autopsy. It infuses some much needed dark humor at the perfect time. Later, Crichton shows his visual flair with a scene inside the Jefferson Institute that shows dozens of comatose bodies hanging helplessly from the ceiling on wires.

It's also worth noting that Michael Crichton packs the hospital scenes with overlapping "medical speak." It's a sound technique that gives those scene a realistic, vibrant feel. It reminded me of the highly-regarded pilot of the 1994-2009 TV series ER. That should come as no surprise, as the show's creator and pilot screenwriter was...Michael Crichton. 

Danger in the Skies: It's The Concorde...Airport '79

Susan Blakely as Maggie.

With Airport '77 ranking 19th at the box office in 1977, it was inevitable that another Airport sequel would soon follow. Alas, The Concorde: Airport '79, which appeared two years later, turned out to be the installment that killed the series. A shoddy affair from start to finish, it's hard to believe it was produced by Jennings Lang, whose films were noted for their polished look. 

Susan Blakely stars as news reporter Maggie Whelan, who gets a potential scoop when a Harrison Industries employee claims to have proof that the company has been selling arms illegally. After witnessing the informant's murder--and narrowly escaping the same fate--Maggie goes to see Kevin Harrison, the company's owner...and her boyfriend. He proclaims his innocence and Maggie heads off to Moscow to cover the Olympics on a new Concorde jet. However, right before she boards the plane, she receives documented proof of Harrison's guilt.

Realizing that he faces exposure, Harrison (Robert Wagner) decides to destroy the Concorde, killing Maggie (and, of course, a lot of other people). That turns out to be quite a challenge as the Concorde pilots evade a drone missile, fend off fighter jets, and cope with a sabotaged cargo door that starts to literally tear the aircraft apart.

Charo and canine friend.

While the Airport formula remains intact, The Concorde skimps on the details. The passenger vignettes, a mainstay since the first film, seem forced and forgotten this time around. Jimmie Walker plays a sax player who gets high in the bathroom, while Martha Raye tries to control her nervous bladder. Comedian Avery Schreiber plays it straight as a Russian Olympic coach with a deaf daughter, but probably has six minutes of screen time. Worst of all, Charo is wasted in what amounts to a two-minute cameo. That just won't do for the Cuchi Cuchi Girl! (Note that this review is of the theatrical version. When The Concorde aired on network television, nineteen minutes of additional footage was added.)

George Kennedy as Patroni.

On the plus side, George Kennedy--the only regular in all four Airport movies--gets promoted to a starring role. His character, Joe Patroni, also gets a promotion of sorts; he was a mechanic in Airport (1970) and now he's a Concorde pilot. He even gets a love scene with Bibi Andersson in addition to quipping lines like: "I'd love to see what my horoscope said this morning" (after evading the fighter jets). Incidentally, we learn that Mrs. Patroni (played by Susan Clark in Airport 1975) died in a car accident. In the expanded TV version, Jessica Walter plays Mrs. Patroni in flashback.

While the film's basic premise is sound enough, the plot is riddled with absurdities. After the Concorde is attacked twice en route to France, its owner (Eddie Albert) announces it will still fly to Moscow the next day. Susan Blakely's supposedly intelligent news reporter can't figure out that her boyfriend is trying to kill her. And Joe Patroni fires a flare out of an open cockpit window to attract a heat-seeking missile. I'm guessing that's impossible to do when flying a jet traveling twice the speed of sound.

The Concorde: Airport '79 bombed with audiences and critics. However, it holds a unique place in film history along with the 1980 made-for-TV movie The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story. Both films reference the United States' participation in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Ultimately, the U.S. boycotted those Olympics because of the Soviet-Afghan War.