AIR MISSION RED

A bloodcurdling escape thriller cheapened by unwarranted sensationalism, about a young American's escape from Russia. Breezy, cocky Steve Ames, kidnapped by a Russian secret agent while on an Alaskan salmon flight for his father, is coerced into piloting his erstwhile friend across the Russian border. After the death of the agent, Steve is forced to assume his identity, and finds himself receiving the acclaim and duties of a Soviet hero. A romance with the dead man's sister complicates and finally facilitates his escape. Mr. Litten handles the suspense well, but in all fairness one must question the authenticity of such intimate details of life behind the Curtain, since the loganized dialogue and one dimensional characters seem to emanate from Hollywood and Upper lobovnia rather than from first-hand observation. In these times when documented fact is a prerequisite to clear appraisal of serious issues, this type of opportunistic fiction is, in its over simplification, dangerous for young people.