Review of
Checkmate:
The Heart is a Handout, Television Classics VHS format
Three out of five stars
If you are
unaware of the premise behind Checkmate Inc., you will find it difficult to
understand the plot of this video. The company is an expensive private
investigating agency that specializes in saving the lives of people that are being
directly threatened. The company is operated by Don Corey (played by Anthony
George) and Jed Sills (played by Doug McClure). Carl Hyatt (played by Sebastian
Cabot), is an Oxford professor of criminology that provides expert consultative
expertise.
The person that
they are protecting in this case is a man living in a vagrant camp, he is known
as “Doc,” and to the extent that there can be a leader in such a group, he is
it. Doc is the son of a very wealthy man that was corrupted by his financial
power, so he gave up the good life to live one of peace.
However, when
his father is on his deathbed and asks for Doc, he complies. In a brief final
conversation, they both atone for their estrangement and the father dies. When
all the family members are gathered, it is revealed that the father changed his
will to leave everything to Doc. He is stunned and suddenly his life is
dramatically altered. How he deals with it as well as the actions of the
Checkmate crew in protecting him make up the rest of the episode. There are
some intense family dynamics that always seem to surface when a lot of money is
involved.
There is very
little action along the lines of a detective story, no fights and only a little
gunplay. The plot is not deep, and the dialog does not rivet your ears to the
speakers.
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