El agente impostor

I regularly forget this film in the Franklyn Schaffner's filmography, I don't know exactly why.... I watched it only three times in forty years and always forget it, and there is no reason why because it is a really tense and taut spy thriller drama, far better than many of those made during the sixties, James Bond parodies or complex thrillers where no one follows anything. Here, it is not so complex but on the contrary riveting at the most, with a jaw dropping Yul Brynner's performance. An excellent doppelganger scheme film, as also was THE MAN WHO HAUNTED HIMSELF, for another story using the same doppelganger element. The best proof that with the same ingredients you can invent and give many different recipes - films in that case.

The Double Man beat much of the competition into the Alps, when movies were helping to glamorise skiing holidays. While The Pink Panther had a ski lodge segment, The Double Man anticipates the cable car action and snowy settings of Where Eagles Dare and On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Interesting to note that the director would soon be working on the iconic Planet Of The Apes.

Added to the admirable location work are the international cast. There are no stars besides Yul Brynner, but there are several actors I have a lot of time for. Clive Revill in particular adds a solid emotional punching bag for Brynner. His intense and downbeat performance is in contrast to his usual extroverted and comedy roles. Anton Diffring was too often cast as Nazi baddies, but could easily deliver menace without a uniform. He starred in several classic horror films of the period, like Circus of Horrors and The Man Who Cheated Death. A young Britt Ekland amply provides glamour here, before she broke it big as a Bond girl.

I grew up watching this movie on TV and always tuned in for the cast, the twisty plot and especially the music. It's a little OTT in places but frantically catchy, pumping up the excitement even when there's little of it on screen. The special effects work is subtle and really convincing in selling the central twist...

I'm very pleased to see that at least this is out now on DVD in Germany, with an English language voice track option.

Passable spy thriller that's a disappointment considering the talent on display. While it isn't a dud, there's nothing particularly outstanding about it and it emerges as a fairly routine and forgettable film.

There are some enjoyable aspects to the film however. I admired Yul Brynner for delivering a lead character that was so uncompromising, cold and ruthless – while he was hardly an admirable hero he was believable and convincing and therefore more interesting as a character. I'm sure if this film were made today the character would've had some more 'likable' elements inserted into him during the film.

The weakest aspect is Ernie Freeman's dreadful score – cornball and overdone, regularly undermining the potential suspense in key scenes.

For mine, while the film itself isn't particularly noteworthy, in a broader context it has a curious interest. Despite being made by a major studio, having a major star and a director who delivered many top-notch films in this period (especially a certain ape film made the same year), it didn't make much impact at the time and is totally forgotten today, even for a film made four decades ago. Why is this? I actually think it would be much more remembered if it had been filmed as a flashy, goofy spy film that is now considered to be representative of late 1960s film style and culture – the likes of which were spoofed in the Austin Powers films. For example, while imo 'In Like Flint' is a dreadful film, clearly inferior to TDM, because of its glossy and spoofy style I can see how its much more remembered and referenced today.

Of course, TDM could've still been remembered on the basis of sheer quality but apart from Brynner's performance, it just doesn't have enough of it.

Yul Brynner is "The Double Man" in this 1967 spy film also starring Britt Ekland, Clive Revill, Moira Lister, and Lloyd Nolan.

Brynner is Dan Slater, a CIA agent who travels to Austria after the death of his teenage son in a skiing accident. It's been written off as an accident, but Slater isn't convinced. He asks a former undercover agent (Clive Revill) for help, but ends up doing most of the investigating himself and soon realizes that this was no accident. But to what end? Slater stays in Austria hoping to figure out what the plan is, and who has initiated it and why. He eventually meets Gina (Ekland) after several attempts at meeting her on the slopes. Gina had seen his son on the lift.

The plot is soon revealed, leading to a dangerous confrontation.

Pretty good, with an excellent performance by Brynner as a cold, hard man who shows no emotion and perhaps feels none. Also, the scenery is gorgeous, as is Britt Ekland, at the height of her beauty here.

Someone here mentioned that the glossy spoofs are better remembered today, and perhaps that poster is correct. However, I don't think there's too much remarkable here. It's a serviceable film with a very intrusive music score.

See it for Brynner's performance.

Dan Slater (Yul Brynner) is a high level CIA official. His son dies in a ski accident in the Alps. He suspects foul play and goes to investigate. It leads to waitress Gina Ericson (Britt Ekland) and he suspects a trap. Of course, the Russians have actually laid out a trap.

This is mostly a lesser espionage movie. It's helped by Yul Brynner's stoic performance and the European ski resort location. There isn't a great deal of action. It's definitely not Bond. It's also not that realistic. It exists in a lot of middling middle. It's functional.