The Satan Bug

The Satan Bug (1965) is a science fiction motion picture in which a US government germ warfare lab has had an accident. The first theory is that one of the nasty germs has gotten free and killed several scientists. The big fear is that a more virulent strain, named The Satan Bug, because all life can be killed off by it should it escape, may have been stolen.

Related Topics:
1965 - Science fiction - Germ warfare - Lab

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It was also one of the first espionage films to follow the lead of the wildly popular James Bond films that set the tone for action/adventure films of the '60s and early '70s. In contrast with the Bond spy thrillers, however, The Satan Bug was a serious attempt by director John Sturges to go in a different direction from his previous all-star blockbusters (The Magnificent Seven, 1960, and The Great Escape, 1963). Indeed, while it is hard to conceive of a film like Goldfinger (1964) without a major star in the lead role, The Satan Bug actually benefits from the lack of big name stars. George Maharis, a product of The Actors Studio, is an effectively laconic hero who uses his brain, not his fists. The Satan Bug is, in essence, a "thinking man's" spy thriller. However, as noble an effort as it was, The Satan Bug failed at the box office and remains largely underrated.

Related Topics:
James Bond - Action - Adventure films - Spy thrillers - The Magnificent Seven - The Great Escape - Goldfinger - George Maharis - The Actors Studio - Hero

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