It's discovered by Western authorities that Chinese scientists have developed a miracle enzyme that will enable crops to grow in the most unlikely of places. Naturally, these same Western authorities are very dubious that China will want to share this enzyme with the rest of the world, so they devise a mission, to be undertaken by a civilian. That civilian is Nobel Prize-winning American scientist / professor John Hathaway (Gregory Peck), and he will have to go into China and try to retrieve the formula to this enzyme. What he DOESN'T know is that his handlers (including Arthur Hill as a gruff, humorless General) just might have inserted an explosive device into Hathaway's head, to be set off should things go wrong.
"The Chairman" does have some things going for it, for sure, including the fact that some of it was indeed shot in the Far East. It receives capable direction from J. Lee Thompson, and features a typically excellent Jerry Goldsmith soundtrack, but it's true that it hinges far more on its dialogue than action / suspense set-pieces. Characters frequently discuss philosophies and politics in a true Cold War piece in which the Russians are actually America's allies in this mission. It isn't until the final third that "The Chairman" becomes more of a genuine spy *thriller*, as Hathaway flees for his life from Chinese soldiers, heading for the China-Russia border.
Peck makes the whole journey worthwhile, delivering a consistently engaging performance; when he's righteously indignant at the end of the story, you can't hardly blame him. He's well supported by Hill, the great Keye Luke as Hathaway's aged mentor, Francesca Tu as Lukes' daughter, Conrad Yama in a rather interesting, amiable turn as Chairman Mao, Ric Young as Yin, and Burt "Cato" Kwouk, who only turns up near the end.
While "The Chairman" may not appeal to espionage cinema fans across the board, the fact that it's so very much of its time does make it an interesting viewing.
Six out of 10.
