This was IMHO terribly underrated. Not only was the plot intricate and very original, the movie itself had a number of unique innovations. One example: the Russian scenes all begin in spoken russian, then transition almost seamlessly into English.
All in all, a very intelligent and rich movie. Probably the best in the '60 spy noir genre.
Very late response: This film was so innovative that perhaps it was beyond the capacity of 1970s audiences to grasp and understand. The plot was dense with detail and may have been too sophisticated.
shareExcept that's *not* a unique innovation. "Judgment At Nuremberg" does the same with Maximilian Schell starting in German and switching in mid-sentence to English (and it was made first), and "Hunt For Red October" later did the same thing as well.
shareExcept that's *not* a unique innovation. "Judgment At Nuremberg" does the same...Is that the first example of this device, do you know? I've always loved it and can't understand why it's not used more often. Vastly superior to either subtitles or having actors simply speak English with a foreign accent (imho)...
I like the switch to English too. Less distracting than subtitles and more colourful than merely having them speaking English from the start.
Apparently you are referring to the individuals that can't make it in the moving picture industry and therefore become so called "critics".
This aficionado's beef is with the below 100 IQ individuals that frequent this site and attempt to review a movie. A rating for this picture in the 6's is of course absurd. IMDb, becoming more irrelevant from a ratings perspective as those that actually can understand and appreciate a good film leave us and the swarm of youngsters still wanting cartoon character films beyond the age of puberty feeling the need to expose their ignorance to the world. And then there is Vin Diesel.
Yes, this movie is horribly underrated. At times I felt I needed a tutor to help me understand the plot and all of the different characters, but that was a reflection on me and not the movie. Look, the spy world is a complex thing, so why would a movie about it be any different. I need to watch it again and will.
With all that said, Richard Boone, Richard Boone, Richard Boone! There aren't enough words to describe how good he was in this. I've decided he could play the ruthless, sadistic charmer better than just about anybody. How evil was he in this (especially what he did to Nikole), but at the same time likable with that endearing way of speaking to his "nephew."
He totally pulled off the blonde hair too. In fact, I think it suited him even better than really dark hair which shocks me to say as he's so identified with it.
Yes, it seems to be. It's a great cast and, in the tradition of good spy thrillers, has a dense, amoral story line. I remembered it for Patrick O'Neil and Barbara Parkins but watching it again, many many years later, there is so much more to appreciate.
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