Somewhat entertaining even
though its storyline is confusing and far-fetched, The Groundstar Conspiracy benefits from a sharp leading performance
by George Peppard, who was always a bit more convincing playing cold-blooded
monsters, as he does here, than he was playing romantic heroes. Specifically,
Peppard plays Tuxen, the security boss at a secret government facility. When a
major explosion occurs on the facility, Tuxen accuses the lone survivor, David
Welles (Michael Sarazzin), of sabotage. Unfortunately for Tuxen, Welles was
injured in the explosion, so he’s not only badly disfigured but also amnesiac.
And that’s when things get loopy. Tuxen has plastic surgeons repair Welles’
face, hoping the sight of his own features will jog the accused man’s memory,
and then Tuxen tortures Welles to extract information. None of this works, so
Tuxen releases Welles, secretly tracking the suspect’s movements all the while,
and watches as Welles finds shelter with Nicole Devon (Christine Belford), a
woman he barely knows. The plotting gets sillier and sillier as the movie
progresses, with what should be the central mystery—what’s going on at the
facility and who perpetrated espionage to learn that information—becoming
background noise.
Like so many thrillers on the lower end of the
conspiracy-movie spectrum, this picture gets so caught up in its own ridiculous
machinations that the story virtually evaporates. That said, some folks might
enjoy watching The Groundstar Conspiracy
simply because of star power and vibe. The unrelenting cruelty of Peppard’s
character is darkly compelling, and Sarrazin’s offbeat screen persona suits his
role well. With his pronounced brow and bulging eyes, Sarrazine always looks a
bit off, and yet he conveys great intelligence and sensitivity even in
half-baked projects like this one. Leading lady Belford, an ice-queen beauty
with an aristocratic quality, doesn’t fare quite as well, but of the three
leads, she’s burdened with, by far, the least credible role. Based on a novel
by L.P. Davies and helmed by the resourceful Lamont Johnson, The Groundstar Conspiracy has most of the
things one associates with the conspiracy-thriller genre, from chases and
fights to hidden secrets and “shocking” revelations. It feels, looks, and sounds
like a proper conspiracy thriller. But from its muddy opening scenes to its
laughably dumb conclusion, The Groundstar
Conspiracy epitomizes the shortcomings of the genre while failing to
demonstrate the strengths.
The Groundstar Conspiracy: FUNKY
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