As others have noted its a fairly old, and at the time bold little conspiracy idea. Don't watch it with a jaded eye. I saw it when it came out. It's not masterful but its clever and solid. If you are a wanna be mili film critic then it may be lost on you

I remember well watching Flashpoint on HBO in the summer 1984. It was a really good movie then, and remains one of my favorites today. This was one of the earliest filmmaking partnerships the fledgling cable movie network attempted. The success of Flashpoint, and a handful of others, eventually evolved into one of the most innovative film production companies in modern cinema. While Flashpoint played in a handful of theaters in a few major markets, it was always intended for the small screen (that's what we called TV when a 27-inch CRT was considered big). I'm quite sure a 16:9 version does not even exist. Based on the modestly successful novel by George LaFountaine, the film strays from the original story in many respects. As one might expect, the book is significantly longer, with a vastly more complicated plot. The characters of Logan and Wiatt are reversed in terms of their backgrounds and personalities. Desert Rat "Amarillo" and Sheriff Wells factor more thickly into the tale, and the Feds are even more ruthless - but the twist and payoff are the same. Overall, director William Tannen's treatment is well done. It is clearly a modest budget film, I suspect the lion's share was spent on the drug bust scene and Kristofferson's contract. In case you didn't know, Kris was a hot property in the 80s, and commanded steep appearance fees. Treat Williams was a virtual unknown, as was Kurtwood Smith (later to gain fame as the father in "That 70s Show"). Rip Torn and Roberts Blossom are their usual brilliant, crusty, lovable selves. Tess Harper and Jean Smart both have limited roles, but provide a love interest for our protagonists, and additional visual appeal beyond the stunning panorama of the West Texas border country. What really keeps this film rolling is the outstanding score by Tangerine Dream. It is alternately compelling and ominous in all the right places. The music is clearly 80s instrumentation, but has a timeless quality that keeps it fresh, even today. The curious choice of a poorly written and awkwardly performed Kristofferson ballad over the closing titles is the only flaw in the soundtrack; but again, that most likely resulted from over excitement at landing such a hot star for such a modest film.If you're looking for a cinematic masterpiece, this isn't it. But if you enjoy a well-crafted mystery that brushes lightly against one of the pivotal points of the 20th century, Flashpoint is 90 minutes well spent.

It starts out promising enough, coming across as a low-rent 'Simple Plan' with a budget Bill Pullman (Treat Williams, saving some scenes with that 'Prince of the City' bluster) and Kris Kristofferson (taking his shirt off more than thrice) coming across a jeep from 1963 carrying a bolt-action rifle, a skeleton (which really didn't get enough shots), and a lot of cash-money to drop like it's hott. Kris wants to keep the dollar-dollar bills y'all without question but Treat wants to investigate where it came from and get some semblance of a plot underway.From there, I'm not quite sure what goes sour. The film switches gears to a drug bust and then tries unsuccessfully to return to the original plot. If there was a connection between the drug bust and the original plot, beyond introducing Kurtwood Smith into the film, I missed it. Miguel Ferrer is underused and Smith is saddled with a lame TV movie villain role. He was much better in 'Robocop'. In fact, they both were. Much better.There's a scene of showstoppingly stupid dialogue between Smith and Kristofferson where you can tell the writers are trying to make a point about crime but just aren't articulate enough to get it across. There's about 45 minutes where it feels like nothing happened. The climax is predictable and although the ending has some intelligence to it, you're just too worn down by then to appreciate it. The theme song at the end (of course it's very 80's, about 'love on the run', and called 'Flashpoint') is hilarious. Not recommended.

HBO movie that was shown on their network and also shown in theatres{at least in my area}.From the outset i think the story was both intriguing and thought provoking.Treat Williams does an excellent job as the disgruntled border patrol agent who is so fed up things that anything will set him off.The desert scenes were shot very well and the music from Tangerine Dream just goes exceptionally well throughout the picture.My only complaint is with the editing off the movie which was a few holes but i will give first-time director William Tannen a break there.Great ensemble of cast including Rip Torn who never dissapoints.The movie is peppered here and there with some pretty humorous moments which just add to the enjoyment of the film.I had been waiting for a dvd version to come out but i gave up recently and got the new vhs version which wasn't too bad.