This is the kind of movie that Hollywood doesn't usually produce. In Hollywood, there has to be a clear distinction between "good" and "evil" to win audiences and revenue. Unfortunately, this destroys a lot of significant films from being made. Groundstar Conspiracy was atypical in that there was a definite blur between "good" and "evil". None more so than in the character of Tuxan, played by the late George Peppard. Peppard plays a government operative who is maniacally obsessed with protecting national security. You like the guy at the beginning, but when he starts interrogating "The Alien" - played by Michael Sarrazin (in the same year played in "Never Given In An Inch", and has a striking resemblance to the singer BJ Thomas), you like Tuxan much less. "The Alien" allegedly committed terrible espionage crimes, but cannot recall due to amnesia. You immediately empathize with "The Alien" as a guy who has to act tough, but you can tell is a regular guy. The whole point of the movie is that Tuxan is dead-set on capturing "The Alien" at all costs. The ending has a strong moral message, and you have to decide whether you agree with what Tuxan does for a living or not. That is the strength of the movie - you have to decide upon morality for yourself (a powerful dilemma in America during the early 70s).
Review of The Groundstar Conspiracy
