The Chase

Veteran director Paul Wendkos made his name with a number of acclaimed low-budget features in the late 1950s, with his prolific early output including episodes of TV series like the police drama Naked City. But, after the relative disappointments of The Mephisto Waltz and Special Delivery in the 1970s, Wendkos returned to the small screen and revived his career with a long string of TV movies. In this crime drama based on a true story, the cat-and-mouse antics rarely shy from the obvious, but Wendkos displays a sure touch with suspense, generating lively thrills from the ordinary material. Casey Siemaszko heads a cast that includes talk-show host Ricki Lake, but this is a far cry from her 1988 screen debut in John Waters's hilarious kitsch classic Hairspray.