The Domino Principle

When prison inmate Gene Hackman gets a visit from the powerful but mysterious Richard Widmark, his entire life changes. Gene's in jail for murder, and all his appeals have fallen through. Dick has a proposition to get him out early: he just has to eliminate someone of importance once he's out. A favor for a favor. But, as the title implies, it's not as simple as it sounds. One favor leads to another, one mistake leads to another, and one twist leads to another.

I'd definitely recommend this mid-'70s thriller. The acting is very good (as you would expect from a Stanley Kramer movie), and the story is exciting and fast-paced. There's a fun bit of against-type casting in this movie. Candice Bergen plays Gene's lowlife, Southern wife, a far cry from the usually classy roles she had taken up to that point in her career. Edward Albert plays a really cold villain, which I would argue was a mistake. He could have continued to play nice, sensitive fellows like in Butterflies Are Free and no one would have objected. You'll also see Mickey Rooney and Eli Wallach in smaller roles.