Alistair Maclean's Night Watch

By TONY SCOTT

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USA, Wed. Oct. 4, 9 p.m.
 
Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Alexandra Paul, William Devane, Michael J. Shannon, Lim Kay Siu, Irene Ng, Hidde Maas, Tom Jansen, Harold Bone, Rolf Saxon, Natalie Roles, Kate Harper, Ron Berglas, Ron Li-Paz, Swee-Lin, Rex Wei, Nigel Fan, Ed Miller, Paul Courtenay-Hyu, Benedict Wong, Cecil Cheng, Adrian Pang, Daphne Cheung, David Cheung.
 

Filmed on location in Hong Kong, Amsterdam and Croatia and at Jadran Studios, Zagreb, by British Lion Prods., Jadran Film and USA Pictures. Producer, Peter Snell; co-producer, Mike Mihalic; director-writer, David S. Jackson; based on a story by Alistair MacLean; Based originally on a three-page idea by the late Alistair MacLean about the top-secret United Nations Anti-Crime Organization, "Night Watch" was turned into a novel by Alistair McNeil, who also adapted six of MacLean's other ideas. Director David S. Jackson has scripted "Watch," and the lengthy, well-trod road sure shows in the thin resultant product. Somewhere, MacLean got lost.

Pierce Brosnan is Mike Graham of UNACO, and Alexandra Paul plays his partner, Sabrina Carver. They're dispatched by Nick Caldwell (William Devane) on the hairy job of finding Rembrandt's "Night Watch," snatched by art expert Schrader (Michael J. Shannon) and replaced by a clever forgery. They stumble onto some explosive action that involves a satellite about to be launched by North Korea -- a device that'll tie up the world's phone systems.

Lim Kay Siu plays the principle villain, Mao Yixin, who talks into his lapel to contact aides. Mike and Sabrina are in Hong Kong pretending to be man and wife. Their CIA contact, Myra (Irene Ng), gets the fingerprints of Schrader's associate, Mao Yixin (Lim Kay Siu), and the fat's in the fire.

Not that it matters. The characters are paste-ups, and director Jackson turns the whole shebang into the equivalent of a low-budget 1950s action film. Longhaired, mustachioed Brosnan occasionally looks troubled, short-haired Paul acts busy. Ng suggests she's trying to make something serious out of the trivial , and Devane strolls patiently through his role. Lim Kay Siu limns the man you like to dislike, while Shannon gets beaten up a lot.

Telepic's a gadget playground, heavy on foot chases and portable artillery, and at one time has the protagonist and villain stalking Hong Kong streets with automatic weapons in their hands. Nobody pays any attention.

Camerawork's OK, as is the editing. John Scott's overwrought score is anything but persuasive.

Camera, Michael B. Negrin; editor, Eric Boyd-Perkins; production designer, Martyn Hebert; art director, Andrew Rothschild; sound, Louis Kramer; music, John Scott. 2 HOURS.