****SPOILERS**** With an state of the art high tech spy satellite landing in neutral waters off the cost of an unnamed communist nation in the Pacific Rim it's decided by both sides the USA & and whoever that unnamed communist country is to each have one of their best men to duke it out on the island and the winner gets control of the object. That instead of having a possibly third world war breaking out between the two countries with thousands of deaths on both sides. The man that the US chooses is former green beret and now high paid mercenary "Blood & Guts" Jacob Gallery, Darren McGavin, and in the red or communist corner the flashy and slippery Yuro played by Mister Marco who's known to hit them, his enemies, when they least expected.This game of cat and mouse on the island between Gallary and Yuro goes on for some five days with either side getting the upper hand where it's decided by Gallary's boss Gen. Lewis Meyers, Brodick Crawford, to sent in reinforcements. Which is against the rules of the battle in bringing in hot shot and gong ho Capt. Bryant, Sam Elliott, to give Gallary, who by now is dying of gangrene, assistance. The same goes for Yuro in order for him to tip the scales in his favor his country sends a new man to help him do in Gallery without his knowing about it.***SPOILERS*** The fact that both sides, the USA & unnamed communist country, were playing dirty to win turned both Gallery and Yuro against them in feeling that it wasn't a fair fight. Still Gallery later finished Yuro off but did it on his own by first blasting Capt.Bryant who was planning to off him, and get the credit of knocking off Yuro, all to himself. As for Youro he took care of his help by tripping and hanging him up to dry. It's later before he was killed by Gallery Yuro tried to talk him into joining forces against their two countries for double-crossing both of them. With his mission accomplished and getting his hands on the high tech satellite, that looked like Maconodo cigar, Gallery passed out and later died from both exhaustion as well as gangrene but only after he threw the satellite in the ocean thus preventing his country, the USA, from getting its hands on it!

I saw "The Challenge" when I was 18 years old. I loved it then and I still do. It remains one of my favorite to this day. War was a BIG part of the 1960s and 70s, so this type of movie had a HUGE impact on how I felt about war. I loved Mako in all of his movies! Darren McGavin was also an actor I enjoyed seeing on film and TV. The premise of the movie is very close to being the perfect solution to world war. The characters' were believable and somewhat likable. Both have their own unique personalities but soldiers none the less. I found myself wanting to side with both men not the soldier, and hating the fact that war will never be controlled or abolished.

I was lucky enough to tape this movie off broadcast 20 years ago. A great basic story line and well made for a TV movie. Gallery (DM) gets nifty toys to play with from a waterhole poison kit to a dual side by side Madsen M50 submachine guns loaded with full loads and bird shot. Mako does a good job but doesn't have the high tech gizmo's that gallery has. Both sides cheat by sending in another soldier each to finish the job, with our two stars being more honorable disposing of these interlopers. All this over a Bomb carrying satellite that crashed and the bad guys got to first and are sitting on it like a hen in the middle of the ocean.Good bang for the buck spent. If this ever comes out on DVD I sure will get a copy. A good movie to get lost in on a lazy eve.

I saw this flick when I was a crazy, mixed up 15 year old kid and simply fell in love with it. ABC Movies Of The Week were quite the thing back then, and this little gem was truly a piece of work. Armed with steely ambition, the film's intense performers serve it very well. MCGAVIN, WHITMORE, CRAWFORD, an unknown but outstanding SAM ELLIOT, the Oscar nominated ADOLPHE CAESAR who died before his time, and awesome JOE BERNARD in another fine support bit. Over the years, I've thought about this motion picture and wondered why it stuck around inside me. If only they'd make films like this again. They probably won't. If only conflicts could be settled like this. Perhaps they have. SEE THIS MOVIE!