Peter Carey (James Coburn) is hired as a pathologist at a Boston hospital; when a friend of his is accused of having performed an abortion on a girl who subsequently died, Carey tries to find out the truth. The second Michael Crichton novel to be filmed, after The Andromeda Strain (1971), is one of his hospital thrillers. Set in those days when abortion was illegal in many states, the film shows the dangerous consequences. However, at heart it is a conventional, entertaining murder mystery with a bloody conclusion. Coburn leaves his mark as the tough, chauvinistic amateur sleuth.
1972-U.S. 101 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Blake Edwards. Novel: Michael Crichton (“A Case of Need”). Cast: James Coburn (Peter Carey), Jennifer O’Neill (Georgia Hightower), Pat Hingle (Pearson), Skye Aubrey, Elizabeth Allen, Alex Dreier.