Sail Away: Treacherous Crossing (1992)

Dave boards the good ship USA Network for a twisting thriller that began life back in the ’40s.

One thing that continues to marvel when looking at movies designed for the home entertainment market is the bewildered reaction from most critics. Heads cocked, like dogs trying to comprehend a new command, the majority struggle to grasp their purpose or function. In the ’90s in particular, the putdowns were all too frequent. Take Ken Tucker when discussing TREACHEROUS CROSSING in the pages of Entertainment Weekly for example:

“Since 1989, cable’s USA Network has shown more than sixty made-for-television films that, taken together, are a monument to video schlock in our time, a sustained achievement of junkiness so ceaseless, so campy, so just plain goofy that it deserves a small salute. And now is the right time to do it, because this week marks the premiere of a classic example of USA moviemaking, Treacherous Crossing.” [1]

He’s right in one respect: Treacherous Crossing does indeed make use of a template that was relied on by the station. As with NBC’s The Nightman (1992), here we have a script lifted from radio – long-running mystery show, Suspense. The story spilled from the pen of detective author John Dickson Carr in 1943 as Cabin B-13. A decade later it graced the screen as Dangerous Crossing (1953), an impressive noir with Jeanne Crain in the lead.

Small screen fare will always struggle to pit its wits against a Joseph M. Newman (This Island Earth (1955)) film, but there’s a lot to admire about this adaptation. Penned by USC graduate and Writer’s Block (1991) scribe Elisa Bell, in the ’40s set Treacherous Crossing we meet Lindsey Gates (Lindsay Wagner) who has just boarded a luxurious liner heading for Europe. Freshly wed, Lindsey’s new husband, Kenneth, is apparently elsewhere on the ship – but as the boat sails it becomes increasingly obvious that something is afoot. Lindsey’s door key doesn’t fit the double room she’s convinced they were assigned to. Instead it unlocks a single cabin nearby that happens to contain luggage which is labelled up under her maiden name. With her history of mental illness reported to the captain (a surprisingly restrained Charles Napier), the tide of goodwill towards Lindsey slowly begins to turn, and she’s left fighting to prove her sanity.

The evolution of Carr’s script from its original format has meant a gradual transformation of the story. Contrary to expectations, though, this process has worked. Gone is knowledge from the play that Kenneth does actually accompany his new wife, while supporting characters – notably new found friend Beverly (a particularly sassy turn from Angie Dickinson) – are embellished to expand the narrative. There’s more time to focus on the intricate moral dilemma as well. The whole ‘did she or didn’t she’ debate effects key personnel in different ways, and it’s a thrill to watch the ensemble’s fractured consensus swing back and forth throughout Treacherous Crossing‘s duration.

Great credit to Wagner. A decade and a half past the role that ultimately defined her career, the former Bionic Woman portrays her namesake with a sympathetic air of despair and vulnerability that’s nicely augmented by Tom Wharmby’s balanced direction. Born in Southampton, Wharmby came to America in the early ‘80s following a run on Coronation Street and such like. Come the ’90s, he was regarded a safe pair of hands in cable-land.

Partially filmed on board RMS Queen Mary, Treacherous Crossing is a visual treat. Brian West’s camera is practically breathless as it prowls around the labyrinthine corridors of the vessel, and there’s great period detail from production designer Barry Robinson.

“A bit of USA silliness that’s even campier than usual,” Tucker goes on to say – but he’s way off base. Clearly, he was just overwhelmed by a newfangled conveyor belt of well-written, well-acted, and well-made features whose aim isn’t to reinvent cinema. A lot of home entertainment media exists simply to entertain.

Treacherous Crossing does that.

USA ● 1992 ● Thriller, TVM ● 88mins

Lindsay Wagner, Angie Dickinson, Grant Show, Charles Napier, Jeffrey DeMunn ● Dir. Tony Wharmby ● Wri. Elisa Bell, based upon the radio play Cabin B-13 by John Dickson Carr