I put this in my Netflix queue based on the strong comments I read here. Boy, was I disappointed. The idea, a chase involving not cars but helicopters, has good potential, but it was executed poorly. This is a low-budget movie and it shows. The soundtrack was jarring and incongruous and sometimes Walker is seen in the helicopter moving his mouth in all sorts of strange contortions, but I guess this is because when this movie was originally shown, the music in the soundtrack was different.The dialog was clunky and the relationship between Walker and the young girl was poorly thought-out and developed. The acting ranged from poor to fair; David Janssen never was all that good of an actor, but here he is adequate in a role that doesn't require much.There's also a major continuity error when he stops to commandeer a fuel truck. Walker parks the helicopter on the highway, but then after he fuels up, the helicopter is clearly seen taking off from an open field, with the highway nowhere in sight.I don't think this movie was good even by 1973 standards, and 35 years later, it is almost laughable.

I'll add to the many comments here on this movie. It came at the tail-end of the "t.v. movie" phenomenon of the late 60's and early 70's which along with several other films from this period, elevated television from the droll tired formulas of the past to exciting "theatrical quality" (at least by early 70's standards!) films which featured intelligent scripting and veteran actors who were mostly underrated even when they weren't 'veteran'. David Janssen never escaped his "fugitive" typecasting but "Birds of Prey" was the finest film he made. To my buddy and I from those days this was the most incredible and exciting film on a small screen with the sudden interest in Heli's or "choppers" as they came to be called was directly the result of films like this one. Everybody was watching all those 'bitchin' assault helicopters from the Vietnam war era on the 6 o'clock news and this movie came at the end of the Vietnam conflict and is a period piece for that with a 'bad guy' who is an ex-Vietnam chopper pilot assisting in a robbery with a spectacular escape (for those days).As someone mentioned the score was 'replaced' from the swing-era big band stuff Harry listens to which is like the music running through his mind as he pursues these guys r e l e n t l e s s l y. It is integral to the story and somebody should have tried to get the music cleared for re-use in this classic movie. This happens all to often nowadays with these types of films from this era.The remake of this film is crap---it does not capture the flavor of the original. If this story intrigues you, check out this one which had incredible chopper stunts for those days and even today in some scenes.My buddy and I would watch this movie anytime they showed it--day or night. Then it sadly disappeared from syndication about 15 years ago.To all the 'youngins' out there it might seem like a bit of a yawn in light of all those Hollywood spectaculars but this movie is widely studied by budding film students for it's pacing and stunt work. It makes an old doddering grey-beard like myself forget his physical infirmities and remember the excitement of the post-nam era.This movie is a nostalgia trip for me but my wife is non-plussed. It's not a "chick-flick" then or now! Phil

...and then some. David Janssen plays a military-vet-turned-newschopper-pilot in Salt Lake City who happens upon a bank robbery involving the baddies, a female hostage and an Aerospatiale Llama; Thus, it's off to the rescue in his trusty Hughes 500D, tailing the baddies and along the way: Rescuing the female hostage, blockading a fuel truck on the freeway for a fill-up, and camping out under the stars in the desert wilds (Flying helos that low at night isn't entirely safe, as the Army can adequately prove). In the climactic ending, both helicopters duel it out at an abandoned desert airstrip where the baddies and law converge, and finally, David's character's Hughes 500 collides with the Llama in mid-air. But the story resumes in a dare-to-sequel ending as the awaiting baddies flee in a Cessna 206, with the law in hot pursuit. Excellent action/adventure movie from the '70s, should be archived alongside the greats as "Two-Lane Blacktop", "Vanishing Point" and "Duel".

I was very happy to see that this movie was finally available on DVD and ordered it from Amazon. It arrived today and I was greatly disappointed to find that the soundtrack of WWII era music had been trashed and replaced with music that wouldn't even be accepted by Muzak! What's missing? The opening and closing credits were over "I'll Get By", and Walker's (Janssen) requested song is "Three Little Fishies". In several scenes, Janssen can be seen singing along.This movie is a great action film, but crappy soundtrack really detracts from the story.