Cheyenne-Bodie McGavin was 47 when he made this terrific little film.No TV actor was as good at these roles as McGavin. He was the TV equivalent of Steve McQueen or Lee Marvin, both of whom were also veterans of TV. "The Challenge" could have made a strong theatrical movie for McQueen or Marvin. It could still be remade today.McGavin had already starred in four television series at this point.McGavin had starred the previous season in "The Outsider", as ex-con private investigator David Ross. This was one of the finest private eye series. Roy Huggins, who created and produced the series, later retooled it as "The Rockford Files".After "The Challenge", McGavin made two other exceptional Movies of the Week: "Tribes" and "The Night Stalker". These were better films than most movie stars were making at the time.When the "Gallery" pilot didn't sell, McGavin immediately signed on for another pilot where he played a spy named Killian. The TV movie was called "Berlin Affair". When someone asked him if the film was cloak and dagger, McGavin said it was more "girl on arm". That pilot didn't sell either.I read once that McGavin turned down the lead in "Hogan's Heros" (1965-1971). He could have been dazzling in that role. But in 1965 McGavin did sign on to star in a pilot of "From Here to Eternity". McGavin would have played the Burt Lancaster role of Sergeant Warden. Another tantalizing might have been.

thepasswaters 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.

ctseeker 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.

mr. sardonicus "The Challenge" is a great little movie, if you can find it. I haven't seen it in quite a few years, and then it was only on television.The premise of the movie is nothing new. The USA and a smaller asian country are both vying for something that landed in the ocean (I can't remember if it was a missile, or space capsule, or satellite, or what), and rather than wage war over the object, they decide to let two men, one from each nation, fight a 2-man war (a surrogate war) on a deserted island to determine who has the right to it.If the premise seems silly, don't worry, the movie is thoroughly enjoyable and the premise soons fades into the background as the two combatants begin their cat and mouse game of survival. Both lead actors, Darren McGavin and Mako, are terrific. As Gallery, an ex US soldier/special operations spook, McGavin is a "screw the rules" mercenary type who the government needs for this mission, but doesn't really trust. Mako is every bit his equal though as the communist (at least, I think that he was a communist) soldier with a whole bag of tricks for his US counterpart.I suppose someone might draw some sort of political conclusions from this movie, but if you are watching it for anything more than the great duel between the main characters, you are missing the point. As made-for-TV movies go, this is a gem.