I saw this ages and ages ago, but found the concept very interesting. Yes, it is a low budget, and no, there are no big name stars, unless you count Peter Graves, Keenan Wynn, and Dick Sargent. I was reminded of this movie later when the former governor from Pennsylvania was able to secure a heart and liver donor very quickly. Conspiracy? Maybe.
Anyway, the action is rather slow, but the tension was there and concept had merit back then as well as now.
The hero, a young man living on an island, is being readied for his chance to go to America. As far as he knows, everyone lives like this. They are trained in keeping healthy, exercised all day, educated up to a certain point, etc. Then, one day, he finds an empty beer can in a stream. It has a word written on it that he does not recognize. "Milwaukee". He asks what it means and is told that it is just a nonsense word and told to forget about it. This is when he starts to get into trouble.
He starts noticing that things he is told by the supervisors and trainers don't add up and realizes that no one, not one of his friends or anyone else, has ever heard from anyone who was "lucky" enough to be transferred to America. They've always been told it is a wonderful place, everyone wants to go there. They suppose no one ever comes back to visit, or writes, because they're having too good a time in America.
He, of course, learns the awful truth, that he, and all of his companions on the island, are merely clones of wealthy and powerful people who run the world governments. They are being maintained on the island until the day they are needed to provide body parts to their originals.
Lots of running around and chasing ensues. And eventually the young man meets with his pre-ordained unhappy fate. ;-( sniff. So sad. And so insidiously scary. I believe this movie has now been remade into "The Island" with Ewan McGregor. I have not seen that one yet to compare. If you have, you might want to rent this one just to check it out.
Anyway, the action is rather slow, but the tension was there and concept had merit back then as well as now.
The hero, a young man living on an island, is being readied for his chance to go to America. As far as he knows, everyone lives like this. They are trained in keeping healthy, exercised all day, educated up to a certain point, etc. Then, one day, he finds an empty beer can in a stream. It has a word written on it that he does not recognize. "Milwaukee". He asks what it means and is told that it is just a nonsense word and told to forget about it. This is when he starts to get into trouble.
He starts noticing that things he is told by the supervisors and trainers don't add up and realizes that no one, not one of his friends or anyone else, has ever heard from anyone who was "lucky" enough to be transferred to America. They've always been told it is a wonderful place, everyone wants to go there. They suppose no one ever comes back to visit, or writes, because they're having too good a time in America.
He, of course, learns the awful truth, that he, and all of his companions on the island, are merely clones of wealthy and powerful people who run the world governments. They are being maintained on the island until the day they are needed to provide body parts to their originals.
Lots of running around and chasing ensues. And eventually the young man meets with his pre-ordained unhappy fate. ;-( sniff. So sad. And so insidiously scary. I believe this movie has now been remade into "The Island" with Ewan McGregor. I have not seen that one yet to compare. If you have, you might want to rent this one just to check it out.