TERMINAL (ROBIN COOK'S TERMINAL)

US, 1996, 90 minutes, Colour.
Doug Savant, Khandi Alexander, Michael Ironside, Nia Peeples.
Directed by Larry Elikann.

Terminal (Robin Cook's Terminal) is a routine and predictable medical thriller. However, it does have the distinction of being an adaptation of Robin Cook's novels - a novelist who combines the techniques of thriller and mystery with his own medical background. (Michael Crichton - also a doctor - directed the film version of Cook's Coma in 1978.)

The film was produced in the mid-'90s, capitalising on the popularity of television medical series from St Elsewhere to the very popular ER and Chicago Hope. Doug Savant (of Melrose Place) plays the lead. Michael Ironside is once again a sinister villain. The supporting cast includes Nia Peeples (Made in America).

While the material is predictable, it is enjoyable watching it and anticipating the events and the confrontations.

1.Entertaining telemovie? Murder mystery? Medical thriller? The comment on the medical profession and hospitals?

2.The city locations, Boston and Phoenix? The hospital settings? Apartments? The sequences for the climax - morgue and underground corridors? The musical score?

3.The title and expectations? Cook's comment on cures for cancer, money for research, the medical profession and its contributing to the development rather than the healing of cancer? The film's critique of greed, of noble motivations being corrupted by the need for money?

4.The opening, the taking of the sample, Margaret and the injection? The investigator being pursued, the attack in the room, her hiding the sample, her death?

5.Sean O' Grady and his brother? The company and the need for investigating what was going on in Phoenix? Shane and his scholarship? The bond between the two brothers? His arrival, encountering Janet and the memories of their past relationship, her coldness? His being welcomed by Sterling? Welcomed to the hospital and research? The suspicious black doctor? Margaret and her suspicions? His settling into work? His friend's father and the daughter's illness, her coming to Phoenix, his wanting to help?

6.Janet, her research, relationship with Shane? Their sparring? Her getting the information about the little girl? His standing her up for dinner? The continued hostilities? Suspicions, going to the morgue, Margaret's pursuit? The growing dangers? The confrontation with the doctor during the evacuation of the hospital, tying her up? Sterling's pursuit, the fight? The vindication?

7.Sterling, the company, his meeting Shane? Suspicious presence? The villain, his network, hold over the doctor, Margaret? His henchmen pursuing the investigator and killing her? His confrontation with Shane and Janet, the fight? His murdering of Shane's brother? His own death?

8.The doctor and the experiments, the cure for cancer, the money grants and the philanthropist donations? The scam to inject the rich people with the cancer and then cure them? Things going wrong with the little girl and her death? Janet and her pretending to break the sample, discovering the phials? Margaret and the injections? Margaret and her loyalty to the doctor - and her dressing up and her imaginary dinner with the doctor's photo on the table? Her pursuit of Shane and Janet to the morgue, her death? The doctor and his final disillusionment - confrontation with Sterling and his death?

9.Shane and his brother, the company and their investigations, his coming to Phoenix, met by Sterling, the confrontation - the chase and his death?

10.The suspicious doctor, her antipathy towards Shane? Tying her up? Her not knowing what was going on? The collaboration with the security guard - and their apology?

11.The medical background? Audiences and the interest in cures for cancer? The good work of research in hospitals? Disillusionment with the schemes for getting money for research?

12.The ingredients of the murder mystery, the popular thriller - satisfyingly set in the medical and hospital context?