Back in the early 1970s biological warfare, aka germ warfare, was considered so nasty and heinous that over one hundred countries, including the United States, agreed to sign a pact outlawing the creation and stockpiling of toxicological weaponry...a nice gesture, to be sure, if anyone intended to stick to it...co-written and directed by Hal Barwood (Corvette Summer, Dragonslayer), Warning Sign (1985) stars Kathleen Quinlan (Twilight Zone: The Movie, The Doors, Lawn Dogs) and Sam Waterston (Rancho Deluxe, Heaven's Gate, "Law & Order"). Also appearing is Yaphet Kotto (Alien, Midnight Run), Jeffrey DeMunn (The Hitcher, The Green Mile), Richard A. Dysart (Pale Rider, "L.A. Law"), G.W. Bailey (A Force of One, Police Academy), Jerry Hardin (Cujo, "The X-Files"), and Rick Rossovich (Top Gun, Roxanne, Navy Seals).
Kathleen Quinlan plays Joanie Morse, a security guard at Biotek Agronomics, a company, who on the surface, appears to be in the business of developing bio-engineered crops aka Frankenfoods, but is in actuality a gooberment front for a biological warfare facility. After a series of unfortunate events an incident occurs, one that forces Joanie to initiate a complete lockdown of the facility (seems a vial containing a particularly vile and communicable germ was damaged, infecting nearly everyone in the building). As Major Connolly (Kotto) and his containment team make the scene in their unmarked vehicles (let the cover up begin), Joanie's husband, Cal Morse, the sheriff in these parts, tries to figure out what's going on, enlisting the aid of a former Biotek worker named Dr. Dan Fairchild (DeMunn). Things get a little hairy inside the facility, as people begin dropping like flies (Joanie seems strangely unaffected), but guess what? The individuals infected aren't actually dying...far from it...the man-made germ, in fact, has the effect of making its victims scabby, angry, and eventually homicidal, proving yet again it's not nice to fool with Mother Nature. Connolly sends in a team supposedly in an effort to recover the anti-toxin, but things go sour, eventually forcing Cal (who's a serious germophobe) and Dan to take matters into their own hands, to break into the facility to rescue Joanie, who appears to hold the key to the cure. Cal and Dan run into serious resistance of the psychotic kind, as those inside, taken by the germ, aren't really receptive to visitors, and family members outside are growing hostile over the load of malarkey Connolly keeps dishing out (he initially claimed there had been an outbreak of a yeast infection within the building...oh bruther, break out the Monistat 3). Exactly what kind of toxicological agent got released within the building? What is its purpose and effects? Why wasn't Joanie infected? How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?
All in all I really enjoy this entertaining little feature, despite a number of perceived sticking points within the plot. I suppose one of my biggest issues was Joanie being able to communicate with Cal on a C.B. radio after the facility had been quarantined...talk about your security gaps. And it's not like it was a big secret or anything, as Connolly was fully aware of it (he even used Cal's radio to talk to Joanie once or twice). Given the secretive nature of the facility, I would have thought a quarantine situation would have also included a complete communication blackout from the outside world to prevent erroneous information from being leaked out, especially given the lengths Connolly was going to assuage the public with his preconceived responses to their questions. I did like how Connolly's containment team was able to patch into the security system on the building from an outside receptacle. Something else...seems to me if'n your dealing with organisms of such a dangerous nature, I'd think there'd be some sort of internal safeguard, one that could be activated from the outside, in case of dire emergency, a safeguard that would eliminate any and all living entities within the facility...perhaps a harsh solution, but given the nature of the work and the potential threat involved, an appropriate one. A bit I did like was how Joanie's security access code, the one enabling her to reverse the containment measures (steel doors, etc.) was automatically disabled after the containment action was enabled. This seemed to make a lot of sense, as you wouldn't want those inside, individuals wracked with fear and desperation (not to mention disease), utilizing the code to free themselves prematurely and endangering the rest of us. Some of the weaknesses I perceived in the plot felt like a result of being there as a matter of convenience, allowing for other events to follow, as looked at times the writers may have painted themselves into a corner. Based on the fact I enjoyed the film, I had little problem letting a lot of this slide. I've always been a fan of Ms. Quinlan, although I must say I think she looks much more attractive with longer hair (she did make that security guard uniform look good, though). I thought her performance her was good, and I appreciated the fact that she was a strong female figure with human qualities who could take care of herself up to a point (being rushed and overtaken by five psychotics doesn't count). I didn't really feel the chemistry between her and Waterston, but perhaps that was because I have a slight `thing' for her ever since I saw her in the film Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983). Some have used the term `zombie' in relation to this film, but I think that's a misnomer as those infected weren't really dead. They seemed like they were cognizant, fully aware of themselves and others, and able to communicate, their main issues being uncontrollable anger and a propensity towards scabbing. The story moves along pretty well with good intensity, although it did drag a little at some points, and the production values are better than average. This, tied with competent performances, made for an entertaining ride. I could have done without the schmaltzy ending, but whatever...I think my favorite bit was when the local yokels, taking matters into their own hands, decide they're going to break into the facility by taking a blowtorch to the steel containment doors. Given Connolly's reluctance to share information, they didn't have much of an idea of what they might eventually let loose, but I was surprised how easily these goons were able to overtake the military on hand, especially given the danger posed if the infection ever got loose. Connolly and his group had some definite security issues...
Anchor Bay Entertainment provides a sharp looking widescreen (1.85:1), enhanced for 16X9 TVs, print here, along with a solid Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 audio track. Extras include an audio commentary track with co-writer/director Hal Barwood, a theatrical trailer, and a promotional TV spot. Also included are previews of some other Anchor Bay DVD releases like Visiting Hours (1982), Malevolence (2004), and Bad Dreams (1988).
Cookieman108
