O Espião de Dois Mundos

While the story is admittedly somewhat confusing, this is definitely not the disaster that Maltin et al. would have you believe it is. It's got some plot issues, and is in fact a bit baffling by the end, but these weaknesses are far outweighed by the sleek mid-60's visuals, the cool location shots of Berlin, and the whole spy-in-an-atmosphere-of-paranoia-and-dread vibe (ie., like the Prisoner). Definitely worth a rent if you're into spy movies and/or paranoia.

p.s. the ever so mod and swinging soundtrack music is by Quincy Jones!

I remember going to see this with my girlfriend at the time but, could not recall anything of the movie. I put this down to the fact that, back in the days of the double feature it was paired with Marlon Brando's The Wild One, which had been banned in Britain for 15 years. Consequently the cinema was packed with rather vocal leather-jacketed bikers, which was a little distracting. Thus, I took the opportunity to see what I missed when the movie was shown on Talking Pictures TV recently.

More HP than JB the story features the then familiar groping around in the murky world of Cold War espionage. With the regular tropes of ; who can be trusted? Who is your enemy? And worse. Who really is on your side?

Laurence Harvey plays dislikeable double agent Alex Eberlin in British intelligence with a sideline as a KGB assassin. He has been bopping off genuine agents in an important operation and the bosses are concerned. Summoned to a meeting Alex is informed that the name of the assassin is Krasnevin. Which comes as a shock since that is his real name. However, no-one actually knows who Krasnevin is. Alex is given the task of tracking down and eliminating himself! The assassin is thought to be in Berlin and Alex is dispatched there with a handler, the equally disagreeable Gatiss (Tom Courtenay) who carries a (literal) shooting stick and hates Alex's guts from the start. Once in Berlin Alex secretly ties to defect across the border but the Russian authorities are wise to him and he is turned back.

A mystery, throughout the movie, is the completely superfluous presence of upper class, wannabe hippy chick Caroline (Mia Farrow whose task seems to be simply turning up unexpectedly wherever Alex is and compromising his cover. Her character serves no useful purpose.

Darker than Funeral In Berlin but not as dark as The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. Being a sixties spy movie, the action moves between capitals and tourist sites. People are killed surreptitiously but the violence is never gratuitous. Harvey is convincing as the world-weary agent looking for a way out and Courtenay's character's vicious persona is reflected in the efficient way he shoots his KGB opposite number at a racing circuit after organising a crowd panic. You know he will show no mercy once he finds it who Krasnevin is. The cast is graced with a who's who of British character actors which include Harry Andrews, Barbara Murray, Richard O'Sullivan, Norman Bird and a young Peter Cooke behaving rather irresponsibly. There is also an early diversity marker in the casting of Calvin Lockhart as African-Caribbean agent Brogue, although he does not feature once the action moves to Berlin. No gadgets apart from Gatiss' shooting stick but, Eberlin does get to drive a flashy sports car. The ending, directed by Harvey himself after the death of Anthony Mann, comes as a bit of a surprise; all being revealed in the last two minutes but, on reflection, it is what you would expect in such a treacherous profession. A worthy entry in the genre.

I am not sure why this film gets a bad rap -- I thoroughly enjoyed it. Wonderful locations of an impossibly glamorous late-60s London, Lawrence Harvey suitably mysterious, a seeping sense of doom which won't give you nightmares but will make you appreciate the story arc even more.

Yes there are plot holes but nothing major. The character of Mia Farrow remains a cipher, but maybe it's intentional.

Watch out for two then future telly stars in minor roles: Richard O'Sullivan (of Man about the house) and Mike Pratt (of Randall and Hopkirk).

Recommended.

There were All Kinds of Secret Agent Movies in the 1960's Spinning Off the Success of the James Bond Series.

Spoofs, Satires and Super-Serious Stuff.

But this is one Odd Duck Among the Proliferation. It Starts with a Marionette Title Sequence that is a Color Saturation Stunner.

There is a Psychedelia to it that will Continue through the Running Time.

The Movie Employs Editing and Camera Tricks that were somewhat "New" at the Time and Adds to the Overall Surreal, Detached from Reality Tone.

It's Complicated and the Dry Delivery is Contrasted by some Visual Vibes that are Bizarre and make the Viewing Disjointed and Decidedly Different.

Legendary Director Anthony Mann Died Suddenly During Filming.

He and Star Laurence Harvey were in Close Consultation Regularly.

So Harvey Finished the Movie in the Director's Chair and Probably Continued with Mann's Vision. Accounts Differ.

It is one of the Most Awkward Takes on the Cold War Zeitgeist with an Ambiance of Confusion and Disarray.

Mia Farrow's Love-Interest Character is Inserted with Incomprehensible Regularity. Just One More of the Off-Beat Ingredients that make this an Experience Like No Other of its Ilk.

Be Advised it's a "Long Strange Trip".

Worth a Watch for the Quirk of it All.

I won't go into much detail as I don't disagree with many of the negative comments cast here, but overall this is an eminently watchable film- I've seen it perhaps 6 times. I like the quirky off balance, alternating dark and light nature (but then again I loved Fay Grim and other flawed gems).

And although likewise flawed there are some great individual performances great shots of London/Berlin ( I was in East Berlin in 1980 and it didn't look or feel much different) that make it the perfect rainy Wednesday afternoon companion.

Note, as uneven as it is, overall I think films like this are a more enjoyable experience than current releases like the Girl Who Played with Fire or the Social Network that are more consistent; but consistently mediocre. But as always, YMMV.