Covert One: The Hades Factor (2006) (TV)

Not bad for a $3 DVD, 14 August 2009

Had I not found Covert One: The Hades Factor in the $3 bin at Big Lots, I seriously doubt I would have ever even heard of the movie - much less purchased the DVD. Based on a book by acclaimed author Robert Ludlum, Covert One: The Hades Factor was apparently made as a mini-series for CBS. The plot deals with the timely topic of bio-terrorism. In the movie (and I'll keep this brief because it would take paragraphs to do justice to the plot), secret agent/doctor/all-around good guy, Jon Smith (Stephen Dorff) is trying to track down the source of a deadly virus released by terrorists. Meanwhile, half-way around the world, another secret agent, Rachel Russel (Mira Sorvino), is on the run having been accused of playing a part in the virus' release. Behind the scenes, a secret governmental agency known as Covert One is pulling strings to protect the government and to find the terrorists. There's a lot more to the plot, but these three sentences will have to do.

On the whole, I enjoyed Covert One: The Hades Factor. It has its faults, but overall it was an exciting adventure. First, for a movie that's over 160 minutes long, I thought director Mick Jackson did an admiral job with the pacing. There are only a couple of instances where things got really slow. Good action, interesting scientific mumbo-jumbo, international intrigue involving terrorists, nice locations, some surprisingly graphic gore effects (remember, this was made for CBS), and solid supporting performances from Sophia Myles, Anjelica Huston, and especially Colm Meany are all highlights for me. Another big plus was Mira Sorvino. But then again, I'm hardly unbiased when it comes to Sorvino. I seem to go nuts over just about anything she does. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for her co-star, Stephen Dorff. Don't misunderstand – his acting is okay, he just seemed terribly miscast to me as the secret agent/doctor/all-around good guy. While I'm on the subject of negatives, I didn't care at all for the film's final act. First, I suppose that the identity of the boss behind the terrorists was supposed to be something of a twist, but it doesn't work. It's far too easy to spot the bad guys as soon as they appear on screen. Second, I hated the final outcome. Sure, the virus is stopped, but nothing else is resolved. We don't even get the satisfaction of seeing the bad guy come to justice. What's up with that? In the end though, the good outweighs the bad and I'll give Covert One: The Hades Factor a 6/10.

6/10