Warning Sign Blu-ray Review

A small rural town in Utah is home to BioTek Chemical, an agriculture research facility ostensibly working on plant hybrids and pesticide manufacture. In actuality the place is a secret government lab designing hazardous germ warfare material. When a vial of extremely dangerous stuff is broken and the scientists exposed, the building goes on lockdown trapping all eighty-five employees inside. Security officer Joanie Morse follows Protocol One and seals the building until outside help arrives. First on the scene is her husband/county sheriff Cal Morse, who sets about putting the locals at ease as they wait for their loved ones inside to be released. The government sends a bio-response team led by Major Connolly to deal with the situation, but when their tactics prove ineffective, Cal turns to former BioTek employee Dr. Dan Fairchild for faster results.

Inside, tensions are on the rise as the majority of the staff appear uninfected and want to go home. Joanie refuses to open the main door, causing pressure to mount while the employees grow more agitated and look to force their way out. In the lab at the center of the contagion, the scientists exposed are found to be either dead or unconscious, raising alarm. As Cal and Fairchild try to come up with a solution, Major Connolly sends in a containment crew to recover the bodies. Once inside they are met by an unexpected fate when the victims appear to reanimate and grow violent. Time passes and the remaining employees all begin to show signs of infection, everyone except Joanie. She tries to keep it together, but when the men get sicker they also grow more aggressive. It is up to Cal and Fairchild to come to their rescue and develop an antidote if anyone is to survive.

Warning Sign is a suspenseful picture in line with The China Syndrome and The Andromeda Strain where science runs amok. In 1985, Cold War fears were legitimate and audiences were open to a film about a new biological nightmare. This movie plays on those fears and introduces a more nefarious motive behind the crisis: the government is looking to keep up with the Russians and is researching germ warfare even though the process had been outlawed years before. The fear of big government plays to the heart of this story with a single mistake that threatens the lives and livelihood of an entire community.

Director Hal Barwood sets up the inciting incident skillfully, as we know the accident is coming, but not how or when. Once the contagion is active, he follows the lives of the employees immediately affected by the lockdown. Security officer Joanie Morse is a responsible woman following the rules over the objections of others. She is in a tough position, as her immediate supervisors are giving her conflicting orders, but she stands her ground. Her husband Cal does his best to keep her calm as the situation worsens. Barwood gets into a bit of trouble when it comes to the frequency of cutting away from the tension of what’s going on inside to the frustrations of the outside community. It is a difficult balancing act, but he keeps things moving and generates a fair amount of suspense. Co-written by Barwood and Matthew Robbins – the team behind Dragonslayer and some early Spielberg pictures – the script juggles multiple plot lines and provides just enough character development to keep things interesting.

Sam Waterston (Law& Order) and Kathleen Quinlan (Breakdown) star as Cal and Joanie Morse, the loving couple trapped in a terrible situation. Quinlan delivers an emotionally exhausting performance that keeps viewers firmly on her side in the crisis. Her character is the only employee unaffected by the infection and she is the key to the resolution. Waterston does well playing an authority figure who wants to save his community and rescue his wife. Both actors are instantly likeable and we want to see them live happily ever after. Jeffrey De Munn (The Blob) is Dan Fairchild, the former BioTek employee working for a cure. He is a welcome presence and frequently the voice of reason as things spiral out of control. Fairchild’s polar opposite is the calculating Major Connolly, played by Yaphet Kotto (Alien) with his usual authoritative intensity.

Cinematographer Dean Cundey (Psycho II) really shines with his lighting and camera work balancing the wide-open Utah landscapes with the claustrophobic corridors of the facility. The synth-heavy score by Craig Safan (Nightmares) sets the mood and helps ratchet up the tension, adding depth to many key sequences. Performances are strong across the board and the direction is solid. The drama unfolds at a steady pace and firmly grabs audience attention. Warning Sign is a cautionary tale that plays on our fears of unchecked science. If you are in the mood for a quality thriller, you will likely enjoy this one.