Elliott Gould vs. the ultimate identity crisis: man or metal?
After an American scientist is severely injured and scarred in a car crash along the border with East Germany, he is captured by East German military. The scientists use metal implants to save him. Once he's back in the States, no one can tell if it's really him, so an intelligence specialist must determine who is under the "mask".
Acting
Elliott Gould's smarmy skepticism vs. Joseph Bova's tragic uncertainty
Practical Effects
Chilling metal 'mask' that ages better than CGI ever could
Writing
Tight Cold War premise that Hitchcock would've stolen
Director
Jack Gold
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on Algis Budrys' 1958 novel, which was a Hugo Award nominee and considered a landmark of Cold War science fiction.
The film's low budget forced creative solutions: Bova's 'metal face' was essentially a modified welder's mask, which paradoxically makes his performance more haunting than any digital effect.
GB
