Thursday, January 9, 2020

INTO THIN AIR (1985)

Ellen Burstyn
INTO THIN AIR (1985 telefilm). Director: Roger Young.

Brian Walker (Tate Donovan of Nancy Drew) bids his family good-bye to go to a writer's retreat. When days go by without a word from Brian, his mother Joan (Ellen Burstyn of (Same Time, Next Year), brother Stephen (Sam Robards), and father Larry (Nicholas Pryor) -- who apparently lives apart from the others -- begin to worry and start to search for him. Joan is told by police that he can't be considered a missing person until thirty days go by, but even when the deadline passes they don't put his name in the system. Alarmed at police disinterest, Joan contacts a private eye named Jim Conway (Robert Prosky), whom she convinces to search for her son. Just when things get hopeless, Conway gets a lead, a lead that the FBI could have also uncovered if they had just been more concerned and diligent ...

Sam Robards and Nicholas Pryor
Into Thin Air is based on a true story and it is both suspenseful and very well-acted by all. This includes Patricia Smith, who in her few short scenes etches a memorable portrait of Conway's wife, Olga, and John Dennis Johnston as the sleazy, if sexy, Earl Pike. Unlike other fact-based true crime telefilms, Into Thin Air also works as well as it does because it is well-directed by Roger Young. It all builds to a satisfying but heartbreaking conclusion. Sam Robards is the son of Jason Robards Jr. and Lauren Bacall. Ron Howard was one of the executive producers. (As this film is told from the frustrated family's pov we don't really know if the authorities were really as disinterested or as inept as portrayed.)

Verdict: Absorbing, well-done made-for-TV crime drama. ***.
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7 comments:

  1. angelman66January 11, 2020 at 10:14 AM

    Need to see this one; I remember missing it when it was first aired, and I am a HUGE Burstyn fan. Have you ever seen the one where she becomes a healer after a near-death experience? Resurrection? That was around this time...of course, Alice Doesn't Live Here is a masterpiece that I need to write about someday!
    -Chris

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  2. WilliamJanuary 11, 2020 at 10:32 AM

    And I'll look forward to reading your post about that film! I have seen "Resurrection" but not for many years.

    Thanks for your comments. Have a great weekend!

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  3. JacobFebruary 12, 2020 at 9:20 PM

    Greetings. Interesting blog. Google brought me here for your post on this movie.

    I streamed it awhile ago and was impressed. It isn't anything too awesome, but it is certainly entertaining, holding the attention with its sense of doom for Brian. The shot of him out on the highway with his VW before the movie turns to his family until the end just screams, "No, Brian, no!"

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  4. WilliamFebruary 13, 2020 at 10:34 AM

    Thank you, Jacob, I appreciate your comments. I think you've captured the film perfectly with your line "it isn't anything too awesome but it is certainly entertaining." That's true. The fact that it's also a true story makes you want to see a happy ending, but alas, that isn't the case. Sad story, as this guy did absolutely nothing wrong but try to be a good Samaritan.

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  5. NoelJanuary 7, 2022 at 8:13 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  6. VictoriaJune 11, 2025 at 12:56 PM

    This type of "Oh the authorities did nothing, we had to do everything ourselves" stuff bothers me. The fact is that Eric Wilson, the real life model for Brian Walker, at 19 was legally an adult, and most legal adults who seem to disappear have done so because they want to do so, and turn up eventually. The authorities cannot whiz bam right away treat every missing persons report of an adult as foul play. That would be a huge waste of time and resources. Sure, it makes a great story if you're the victim's family and it turns out your family member was a victim, but it can never be the whole story.

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  7. WilliamJune 11, 2025 at 1:05 PM

    Very good points, Victoria. I watch a lot of True Crime programs and I know the loved ones get angry and frustrated, but often the authorities really can't share what they know even if they know anything, and there's often nothing they can do. And as you say adults do go off and seemingly disappear all the time.

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