The Marseille Contract

I'll start by saying this is not a good film. This was probably good enough for audiences in the 1970s but it really creaks along today. The acting is often wooden. The cinematography makes poor use of the south of France location. James Mason makes no attempt to be play a French gangster and reverts to his usual film persona - he doesn't even bother with an accent. Antony Quinn is great though, particularly with the material he has to work with. His rage in the scene at the after work poker game is electric. The plot has holes but at least it sort of makes sense in the end. Overall it seems a waste of the talent in this film and the stunning locations. Having said all that I secretly enjoyed it.

Unfortunately, none of Messrs. Caine, Quinn and Mason are on very good form here. Nor do they have much of a script to work with in this rather clunky crime drama. It is Quinn ("Ventura") an official at the US Justice Department, who has been trying for years to thwart the activities of drugs baron "Brizard" (Mason) but the man proves somewhat teflon! As a last resort, he hires an unknown assassin to finally stop his nemesis. It turns out though, that the man he has inadvertently hired in none other than his old pal "Deray" (Caine). Set amongst some gorgeous Parisian and Alpine scenery, we now play out this cat and mouse game. Aside from a rather lacklustre storyline, there is also pretty little actual action to entertain us here either. Caine is absent for petty much the entire first third of the film; Mason makes for quite a good baddie - but just features all to sparingly in what rapidly becomes a rather procedural drama enlivened only by a few of the scenes from Quinn. It is an OK watch - but not a film you are likely to recall.

Unlike some other reviewers, I found this little known piece to be very entertaining. Yes, Tony Quinn over-emotes on occasion (e.g., poker scene) and his affair with Rita (Alexandra Stewart) goes undeveloped, but the story line itself is well paced, interesting and suspenseful. If you're looking for an esoteric, psychologically penetrating example of the crime drama genre, this film is probably not for you. It is, however, a 90 minute "straight, no chaser" crime caper with the obligatory chase scenes, double-crosses, romantic entanglements, etc. Is it Caine and Mason at their best? No, but they don't need to be to fulfill their contribution, individually and collectively, to the flow of the story line. Also, the not-so-well known French actors (to American audiences) cast in the film were up to the task at hand.

In conclusion, great camera shots of Paris, southern France and Marseille. In no small manner, they augmented the film's overall thrust and added an extra dimension of cinematic flavor.

As a fan of Micheal Caine and of action thrillers from the seventies I was looking forward to watching this film. I'd listened to the wickedly funky soundtrack by Roy "Get Carter" Budd, and spent a while tracking down a copy of the film on VHS.

Firstly i'll deal with the good points. Marseille is a good location to film a thriller, think of French Connection 2 for example, and it is well used. I'm in love with the Citroen DS, especially in black, so I was pleased to see them used throughout the film. There's a playful "cat and mouse" car scene, which was later copied in a more OTT style by John Woo in MI:2! There are a few interesting killings. Caine looks very seventies cool.

Now for the not so good points. Budds soundtrack although is efficient, it is too efficient for my liking, i'd like to hear more of it in the film. The music never really gets going. There are a couple more chase scenes thrown in for good measure, but they are boring. The acting is very very average, as is the film.

In my opinion I think that the director should have made a decision to go with either A) A gritty, hard hitting thriller. Or B) A more tongue in cheek, stylish caper movie. This film has both qualities at certain points within the movie, but it doesn't have the mix right. This is a shame because it could have been much better, perhaps a bigger budget was needed, who knows.

So to sum up, if Michael Caine in various seventies fashions such as roll neck sweaters, giant aviator sunglasses, a smoking jacket with cravat and the odd kipper tie floats your boat, this is the move for you!

I think it could have been alot better with all the talent in this film. Never really takes off and keeps you expecting more but never delivers. I expected it too be alot better and was bored through most of the movie.