"The Next Man" is an obscure Sean Connery film from Allied Artists...and its financial failure might just be why it was the studio's final release. The copy I saw was on a DVD from Netflix...one that looks just like it was duplicated from an old VHS tape....so in addition to a poor picture quality, there are no DVD extras.
The story begins with a shot of the Twin Towers in New York....which is a bit ironic considering the film's content. In the space of just a few minutes in the film, three different important Middle East politicians are assassinated. Soon, a Saudi diplomat, Khalil Abdul-Muhsen (Sean Connery) arrives at the UN to give a speech. The speech seems to shock everyone when he calls for an end to OPEC nations supporting terror and proposes his country leave OPEC if it continues. He also then proposes the seemingly impossible....peace with Israel!! Surely Khalil has a death wish....and soon American officials are fearing for his life. Can he survive this hate...as well as the assassin to which he has found himself falling for after he meets her?
The weird thing about this movie is the casting of Scottish actor Sean Connery in the lead. While he looks a bit like the part he's supposed to play, he sure doesn't sound like a Saudi! And, I am pretty sure this as some of the reason the film faced such an icy reception when it debuted. He's enjoyable and a fine actor...but wrong for the part.
Aside from this silly casting decision and a poor DVD dupe, is "The Next Man" worth seeing? Well, despite having a seemingly impossible premise, it is nice to see a film that gives a slight glimmer of hope to Middle East peace.....that's a nice plus. But the story itself seemed to be missing something...mostly fully three dimensional characters. A nice attempt but a film that just doesn't quite score.
