A small group of military officers frustrated by the corruption and brutality of a fictional contemporary European government decide that they must overthrow the current administration. But the coup's leader worries that there is a spy in their group.
Colonel Narriman (Hemmings), an idealistic and soon-to-retire army officer, becomes sickened by the government's use of extra-judicial killing and torture to suppress the terrorist insurgency that their incompetence and corruption has fostered. Jean Rousseau persuades him that, instead of retiring, he should attempt to overthrow the regime for the good of the country.[4]
Worried about infiltration by agents of the hated internal security chief Blair (Donald Pleasence), he emphasises operational security, as he knows he can expect no mercy if caught, while he builds the coup one important recruit at a time. A key such person is Colonel Zeller (O'Toole), whose armoured brigade is seen as vital for capturing the capital city quickly.
The final part of the film is the actual conduct of the coup attempt with exciting twists and surprises.
Flag of the unnamed republic where the coup d‘ etat is taking place
The UK-Canada co-production was filmed in Canada and West Germany. Power Play includes scenes shot at the University of Toronto's University College quadrangle and hallways. Portions were also filmed at CFB Borden, CFB Toronto and CFB Lahr in West Germany, using elements of the 4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group. The Canadian Armed Forces also provided aircraft, armoured fighting vehicles (including Centurion tanks), and soldiers for the filming. The different marks of Centurion tanks reflected the fact that filming occurred both in Canada and in West Germany.
The flag of the film's unnamed republic, "a generic country with no specific geography or culture", was green, yellow and black.
It was one of the first films financed under Canadian tax concessions.[5]
Reception
The film won the Best Screenplay award at the Canadian Film Awards.[6]
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