As the idealistic 1960s bled into the cynical 70s, Hollywood thrillers became increasingly paranoid. But before post-Watergate efforts such as The Parallax View and The Conversation (both 1974) came The Chairman, a globe-trotting 1969 oddity starring Gregory Peck. Instead of the enemy within, the film rattled with anxieties about communist China’s scientific capabilities. It was hardly the sexiest of subjects for a spy thriller – which was reflected in its poor box office showing – but it...