Operation C.I.A.

If you want to watch a young Burt Reynolds pretend to act then this will fulfill your desire. Allegedly, this 1965 film is about espionage in Sai Gon, Viet-Nam. Unfortunately, the only thing accurate is the portrayal of incompetent CIA agents. The film opens with a CIA agent standing on a steet corner when a young man on a small motorcycle stops, dismounts and walks away. The alleged CIA is not suspicious and is killed by a bomb attached to the motorcycle.

Suddenly, Burt Reynolds is dispatched as a university professor with expertise in agriculture. He is educated about Viet-Nam's Mekong Delta region while flying to Hong Kong. Strangely he then takes a Thai Airways airplane to Bangkok rather than Sai Gon. The film was shot in Bangkok. Note the business signs and of course the Thai temples which do not exist is Sai Gon. Also, note the aircraft and airport buses are Thai Airways.

Supposedly, a British journalist is conspiring with some Thais (pretending to be Vietnamese) planning to assassinate the U.S. Ambassador for unknown reason. This is remotely related to events during 1945 not 1965.

General Douglas Gracey commander of the British Army in Annam (southern Viet-Nam) during 1945 conspired with French and Vietnamese agents in Sai Gon, to kill the leader of the U.S. Army OSS (forerunner of the CIA) team who was trying to negotiate with political groups aligned with the Viet-Minh in Tonkin, led by Ho Chi Minh. Gracey supported France's claim for former colonies even though President Franklin Roosevelt before his death was publicly against France taking control of such due to previous despicable colonial policies. But, I seriously doubt the scriptwriters knew anything about the political situation in southern Viet-Nam during 1945.

This film needs a logical script. Apparently, the only reason this film was produced was to spend money sitting in Thailand or simply to visit and enjoy Thai massage girls.

Obviously, during 1965, few people knew Bangkok from Sai Gon. But after eight years of war and millions of photos sent home by soldiers, it is difficult to pretend Bangkok is Sai Gon. Also, none of the Thai girls wear the white Ao Dai costume common with Vietnamese schoolgirls.

Other than being a Bert Reynolds fan, the only other reason to watch this film is if you want to see Bangkok during 1964 - 1965.

Of course, if you look at this from a purist's perspective, the movie just won't hold water. However, if you want to let yourself get sucked right into the naive sixties' view of more exotic parts of the world, then this will do the trick quite nicely. Chuckle at the the unabashed attempt to fool the viewer into believing that well-known Bangkok landmarks are instead the setting for the movie, Saigon. Great to see a very young and sexy Burt Reynolds, and equally sexy Kieuh Chinh of later Joy Luck Club fame (Suyuan – the mother), playing Reynolds' Vietnamese love interest. This movie is a jewel in its own right for being a kind of time capsule of 60s espionage intrigue and the glamor of international locales.

This spy thriller isn't exactly a thriller, but it doesn't drag. It's not as action packed as 007, but not as plodding as some of the deliberately confusing espionage movies.

The lead character helps, despite Burt Reynolds in the lead role. He later turned to straight man in comedy roles, his forte, because he wasn't what one would call a natural thespian.

Still, he tries, and we get that feeling. He plays a likable character who does try. He has a few human faults, but his heart is in the right place. The character is very well written, and makes us care about the story. That already gives the movie an advantage over 90% of other action movies.

The directing is superb, too. The fight scenes look very real, at least to people who have actually been in and around a lot of fights. Most action movies have goofy "choreographed" looks that street people laugh at, and that bubble boys swallow like a baited hook. "Operation C.I.A. looks like real people in real fights. What's more, after long chases scenes on foot, in long sleeves and hard shoes, they are actually fighting tired. Our director here was brave enough to risk showing "reality" as opposed to placating the bubble boys.

One gets the feeling that the movie was meant for working class people, for people who have been outdoors a lot. It certainly isn't for the cubicle dweller of today, the one who fantasizes that he is a Hulk who can do ten marathons in one day.

But that is because this was made in 1965, when most Americans did have a feel for the outdoors and reality.

However, there are faults to this movie. The sound and the score are not very good. One woman looks like her lines are dubbed in very poorly. There are a few parts that drag. Overly long scenes in cars, on streets, in conversations. Granted, these are needed for the plot, but they aren't animated enough. Most stage play directors know how to deal with this, and we get the feeling that the director here had forgotten simple theatrical directing.

In short, the action scenes are perfectly directed, but the dialog scenes leave much to be desired. Overall, more assets than detriments. Not a classic, but a decent movie. Figures to be rated 4-7, or 3-8. Any ratings of 1,2,9, or 10 would look suspiciously like some control freak trying to swing the vote for no reason. As of this review, most of the control freaks are trying to swing the vote toward the bottom, as is the case with the typical IMDb control freak towards movies made before 1960.

Actually, this movie isn't half bad. It's good to see a young Burt Reynolds kicking butt in the orient and making it with the cute Asian chicks. Definitely has that early-to-mid 60s feel, music and all. I recently purchased a very hard to find VHS copy of this movie from a collector, and I'm not gonna get rid of it! Operation CIA is one of them flicks to just kick off your shoes and sit back and relax. Worth checking out....

Although Burt Reynolds detested OPERATION CIA, his first starring turn fresh from sidekick TV-roles on RIVERBOAT and GUNSMOKE, he would often brag more about his past stuntwork than any recent acting, so there's actually a lot to be proud of in this B&W programmer miraculously filmed right in Saigon, Vietnam, right before the real life war...

Replacing a slain agent, something straight from the James Bond universe, Burt's CIA-operative Mark Andrews is either fighting woodwork villains, from exploitation regular Vic Diaz to a karate-chopping massage girls, or dodging main baddie (bonafide stuntman) Bill Catching...

And like any spy flick, the dames are something else... like Canadian blonde/BIKINI BEACH babe Danielle Aubry playing French, or the insanely gorgeous Kieu Chinh, steadily at Burt's side for most of the fast-paced adventure...

Directed by always-capable Christian Nyby, OPERATION CIA is more straight action than the kind of espionage or thriller built into the title, and, although Burt's looped voice lacks the gleaming spark of his later years, he looks great, particularly during the final act, sprinting (and leaping) from one side of the genuinely exotic Asian location to the other.