Woodyanders Review of Lifepod

Lifepod (1993 TV Movie)

A nifty sci-fi version of Hitchcock's classic thriller "Lifeboat"

[8/10 · 21 January 2007]

Christmas Eve in 2168 A.D. A motley assortment of nine people are trapped on board a creaky, rusty, antiquated lifepod after the luxury space liner they were on blows up. One of the nine individuals is the deadly saboteur responsible for destroying the ship. Moreover, after a few days they soon begin to run low on both food and water. Ron Silver's strong, capable direction wrings plenty of sweaty and claustrophobic tension from the smart, inspired and compelling script by M. Jay Roach and Pen Densham. The uniformly excellent acting from a bang-up cast rates as another significant asset: Robert Loggia as a gruff, jerky, overbearing business executive, CCH Pounder as the feisty pilot, Adam Storke as an edgy convict, Jessica Tuck as a sassy, snoopy reporter, Silver as an astute blind man, Kelli Williams as a scrappy young woman, Stan Shaw as a tough cook with a broken leg, Lisa Waltz as a distraught woman with a sickly baby, and especially Ed Gale as a fiercely dutiful dwarf "toolie" with a mechanical arm all give fine and convincing performances. The bleakly serious tone, Robert Steadman's sharp cinematography, the nifty special effects, and Mark Mancina's spare, spooky score are up to par as well. A solid, suspenseful and engrossing little winner.