Eric Braeden stars as Dr       Charles Forbin, who has created a supercomputer named Colossus, built solely for the purpose of controlling the nuclear defenses of the Western alliance       It isn't too long after, however, that the Russians announce that they too have built a similar computer for those same purposes on their side--Guardian       And when the two machines begin sharing information at a speed nobody can believe, an attempt is made to disable them      　　This unfortunately just raises the machines' ire; and in retaliation, they launch their weapons at each other's home nations       The result is a chilling scenario that is potentially becoming all too real these days      　　COLOSSUS THE FORBIN PROJECT was not a big hit at the box office for various reasons       One is that its cast wasn't exactly well known       Another reason is that its ending isn't exactly a happy one       Still a third reason is that Universal had trouble trying to promote it in the wake of the huge success of Stanley Kubrick's 2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY       The latter reason is obvious Colossus and Guardian, like HAL in the Kubrick movie, become central characters here       The difference here is that while HAL malfunctions due to a programming conflict, Colossus and Guardian remain all too stable, convinced beyond a doubt that they know how to protect Mankind better than Man himself       As the computers point out One inevitable rule is that Mankind is his own worst enemy      　　Joseph Sargent's direction is efficient, and the special effects work of Albert Whitlock still manages to work despite its obvious age       An overlooked gem in the sci-fi genre, this should be given a revival