The Domino Principle

Based on Adam Kennedy’s book, The Domino Principle follows Gene Hackman’s Tucker, a prisoner serving a lengthy stretch for murder, as he’s offered the chance to simply walk away from jail if he agrees to complete an unspecified job on the outside. Filmmaker Stanley Kramer kicks The Domino Principle off with a seriously bizarre, almost avant-garde prologue that throws the viewer for quite a loop, to be sure, with the movie, past that inexplicable opening, segueing into a deliberate yet mostly engrossing drama that’s been punctuated with a series of effective twists. It’s clear, certainly, that the picture’s success is due in no small part to Hackman’s typically captivating performance, and there’s little doubt, as well, that the actor receives able support from an impressively stacked supporting cast that includes Candice Bergen, Richard Widmark, and Eli Wallach. Kramer’s predilection for extremely 1970s attributes contributes heavily to The Domino Principle’s success (eg Hackman’s various outfits have to be seen to be believed), while the progressively perilous situation in which Tucker finds himself paves the way for a thoroughly gripping climax. And although Kramer doesn’t quite stick the landing (ie the whole thing fizzles out to a slight degree before reaching its admittedly effective conclusion), The Domino Principle predominantly comes off as a stirring thriller that succeeds despite a narrative that is, to put it mildly, rather far-fetched.

*** out of ****