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 am perfectly aware that I watched a real gem here. A rare and interesting TV movie that not many people saw. A sort of political fiction adventure movie. A movie which is in the anti communist move, with many bitter accents in the meaning of this strange tale. We, of course, think of John Boorman's HELL IN PACIFIC, starring Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune. Mako and Darren Mac Gavin are excellent. And, as another user said, I could have seen Steve Mac Queen in the lead character. A connection to Vietnam war is in the middle of this very interesting plot. There would be more features like this one.I love TVM for this reason, we find stories we can't purchase in more classic movies, released in theatres.Catch it if you can...

I am a 100% combat wounded veteran, and this movie was pretty close, but perhaps this the way we should fight ALL wars from now on!! My 21 year old son found the movie from a man in Canada and I have watched it at least 3 times in the last 2 weeks! GOOD MOVIE. I had been looking for it for about 10 years, now that my son is in computer's at college, one weekend he was home and I ask him to see what he could do to locate this made for TV movie. He did a search and found that a man in Canada said he may have it, would go through his volumes of tapes and send us a copy. Took about 4 weeks, but it got here about 2 weeks ago, and I have it by the VCR to watch it at any time.

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!