THE SATAN BUG (1965)

Station Three is a highly protected government lab in the middle of a California desert where biological weapons are secretly being developed. Reagan, a government security man, is helicoptered in for a visit and as he makes his rounds, he tries to talk the tired looking Dr. Hoffman (Richard Basehart) into taking some time off. As scientists leave for the day, we see a man (Ed Asner) sneaking around, hiding his face and being taken by others for a Dr. Baxter. Something is afoot, and the next morning, we discover that Baxter and Reagan are dead, and that sneaky man has taken vials of two deadly chemical weapons. One is a strain that causes deadly botulism; if released, it would kill instantly but it would also dissipate quickly. The other is a new weapon nicknamed the Satan Bug; it would not dissipate and if loosed, it could kill all life on the planet in months. Former government agent Lee Barrett (George Maharis), who was recently fired for insubordination, is called upon to investigate. Mysterious eccentric millionaire Charles Ainsely sends a ransom note; he intends to release the botulism formula in Miami to create an “incident” then threatens to release the Satan Bug unless the government shuts down its chemical warfare labs. Barrett's former boss (Dana Andrews) and his lovely daughter (Anne Francis) work with Barrett to ferret out Ainsley and his confederates before they can follow through on a threat to drop the Satan Bug over Los Angeles.

Though originally marketed as sci-fi, this is really just an espionage thriller with the science fiction element of its title compound. Sci-fi fans will be disappointed and even thriller fans may feel letdown as this is a fairly talky affair with the action isolated at the beginning and end. In its look and the way it plays out, the film reminded me of 1968’s THE POWER which had a somewhat stronger sci-fi sheen but was essentially a chase thriller. But if like me, you have a hazy nostalgic affection for this kind of movie, you'll enjoy this. The handsome George Maharis makes for a solid if unexceptional hero, and an early scene in which government agents test him to make sure that he would be loyal and reliable is fun. Old pros Basehart and Andrews are fine, though as is often the case in action movies of this era, the female lead (Francis, pictured with Maharis) is underused. Asner and Frank Sutton (Sgt. Carter in the Gomer Pyle TV series) are good as the goons that the bad guy uses so he doesn't have to get his hands dirty, and you may recognize in support Simon Oakland, Hari Rhodes (from Daktari), James Doohan (Star Trek), and the still active James Hong (currently in Everything Everywhere All at Once). The lab scenes are colorful and the desert scenery is well photographed. The Miami incident is presented briefly but effectively as the equivalent of newsreel footage. The film is based on a novel by Alistair MacLean, author of many novels which became adventure movies—Guns of Navarone, Ice Station Zebra, Where Eagles Dare. [Blu-ray]