"Capricorn One" How to develop an original idea into a movie?

Car action that updates ``Bullitt''

A young man working in the NASA control room has doubts about the broadcast from Mars. While personally tapping into radio signals from the command module, he discovers that the signals are coming from a distance not far from the surface of the planet, despite the time lag that should normally exist. He reports this to his superiors, but they simply laugh, and when he tries to pursue the matter further, they suddenly disappear. His friend, The Journalist Caulfield (Elliott Gould), is investigating the mystery of his friend's disappearance. He senses something odd about a TV broadcast with the astronaut's family, and tries to get to the bottom of it, but is hindered in various ways. First, the brakes on a car break down, causing the car to run out of control through the city.

"Capricorn One" (C) Capricorn One Associates 1978

At the time this film was made, it felt like car action scenes had already been exhausted, but director Peter Hyams introduced them despite the producer's objections. Hyams was confident that he could create innovative car action scenes under certain conditions. That was to invite Bill Hickman, a stuntman who also appeared in Bullitt (1968) as the hitman who targets Steve McQueen. McQueen said, "He's the best stunt driver in the world" (Steve McQueen: The Man).

In response to those expectations, Hickman created a car action film in " Capricorn One " that would surpass " Bullitt ". It was Hickman who suggested placing a camera under the bumper of a car that was running wildly through the city streets after its brakes broke. This shooting method, shot from a low angle and close to the ground, enhanced the sense of speed, and the power of the scene where the car runs wild through the city streets at 160 kilometers per hour is so impressive that it makes you tremble even when watching it on a TV monitor. By the way, according to director Hyams, when he stopped off in Japan on his way back from serving in the Vietnam War, he experienced even more fear than in this film when he saw a taxi driving out of control in Tokyo.

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