Towards the tail end of the 1970s disaster movie craze, you can find the B-picture Golden Rendezvous. With a full cast of Richard Harris, David Janssen, Burgess Meredith, John Carradine, Gordon Jackson, Ann Turkel, and Dorothy Malone, it unfortunately feels more in place as a tv movie than a big-screen release. The ridiculously cheesy '80s music makes you want to laugh, the script feels like a rough draft, and no one is given any acting to do.
Simply put, while everyone on board an ocean liner has his or her own secrets and suspicions, the first officer has discovered a menace on board. He doesn't know who it is, but as crew members start getting killed, he'd better find out.
Or not. I tried really hard to be interested, for the sake of Harris and Janssen (real life buddies), but I didn't really care who the bad guy was or who would end up prey to his evil schemes - as long as it wasn't one of those two fellows. In fact, after seeing it all the way through just the other day, I don't think I even remember who turned out to be the secret villain. I was far more distracted by the pre-'80s cheese laid on so heavily.
If you can get past the music, the occasional flubbed line that was saved, no doubt, to help with the budget and schedule, and the lack of interesting characters, you might wonder why Ann Turkel was cast, since her "acting" will undoubtedly make you cringe. She was married to Richard Harris at the time and fit in with the pattern of Hollywood nepotism. My advice is to skip this one and watch Juggernaut instead.
DLM warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. Since the entire movie takes place on a ship over turbulent water, there are lots of tilts and bobs, and that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"
