Istanbul Express

In 1968, Gene Barry costarred in the first Columbo TV-movie, written by the famous team of Levinson and Link, and directed by Richard Irving. The same year, he also made this TV-movie, which had the same writers and director. Did Gene have a studio deal?

That one was a classic, this one is not. What's good: beautiful Senta Berger and Mary Ann Mobley! I wish they both had more scenes! There's great location shooting, especially in Venice. Gene is his usual suave self. What's lacking: no sense of urgency; not much action; and while Mary Ann, in particular, wears some fabulous 1960's outfits, the movie is never steamy. (To be fair, it was a TV movie). It's in the Euro-spy period, but not as intriguing and fun as many of the European films were. Still, relax, don't expect a lot, and it's OK. The last 20 minutes do seem to drag rather badly to me. I think the plot is too gimmicky; story needed more love interest; Senta not used enough (Mary Ann either); and for a spy flick, it was weak on the action side. Still: Senta and Mary Ann in their prime, are wonderful to see! Plus, John Saxon is excellent. As usual.

This is quite a passable tale of international intrigue that could maybe have done with a better lead. Gene Barry doesn't quite cut is as the art dealer-cum-agent sent on a mission to attend an auction in Istanbul that is selling stolen, top secret, papers. His adventures - mainly on the train - see him beaten up, drugged and generally being mean to as he has to garner the clues that will unlock the funds to enable him to bid! The story doesn't hang about; there is plenty to keep it interesting though at times Richard Irving's direction is a touch episodic - there appears to be plenty of spaces for ad-breaks - but the ending has a couple of twists to pat you on the back for sticking with it.

Gene Barry became world famous by the television series in the 60s "Burke's Law", where he was the womanizing detective who always got his man but for some reason always happened to very odd crimes in weird circumstances, like a kind of James Bond without the violence and extreme crooks but with a slightly more morbid slant instead. This film is like one of those 45-minute TV-shows but made into a full feature and set on a thrilling journey through Europe to Istanbul with complications, of course, he even misses his train at one risky station, ending up a failure in Istanbul and almost getting killed for it. All Burke's girls are with him on this journey and he kisses them all, and of course there is a lot of champagne and whisky and lobsters and what not for the smoking luxury.

It's great entertainment, though, and especially the music is terrific. The plot is clearly fashioned somewhat on Bond's "From Russia with Love" and also "Casino Royale", but there is no plagiarism, only variations. You don't object to anything, especially not against the only crook in the plot, who is the lovely Senta Berger; so it's a nice thriller to pass an evening with never to see again, - like just another of those Burke girls.

Agent Michael London (Gene Barry) poses as an art dealer so he can make regular trips between Paris and Istanbul. His latest mission is to enter an auction in Istanbul for some very desirable top secret scientific papers. There is a lot of interest from "the other side" concerning these papers. These enemy agents will stop at nothing to prevent London from getting the papers.

Overall, Istanbul Express is a fairly bland, milk-toast sort of spy film. Once I saw the name Mary Ann Mobley in the credits, I knew this wasn't going to be a very wild ride. If I'm not mistaken, Istanbul Express was originally a TV production - and it shows. It doesn't have any of the memorable fight scenes, big set-pieces, or over-the- top action you find in a theatrical release. The film's star, Gene Barry, is a fine actor, but even he is "safe". About the wildest thing Barry does is throw down a few drinks. Slow down there, dude - let's not get too crazy.

So far, I've made Istanbul Express sound somewhere between boring and a dog. Honestly, though, it's not all bad. The location shots were nice and a bit unexpected. You normally don't see actual location shooting like this on a television production. Another plus was Senta Berger in a very small, but pivotal, role. She's another of those actors who automatically make a movie better simply because they're in it. Finally, there is a really clever twist at the end during the auction scene that was quite well worked. It alone saved Istanbul Express from being below average.

In summary, Istanbul Express is a fairly harmless, mildly entertaining film that too often plays it safe. There is a nice twist at the end that saves it from being horrible. Like the movie, I'll rate it a milk-toast sort of 5/10.

I was hoping for a better production, seeing in the cast the presence of Senta Berger and Werner Peters. But the script is very "thin", so the movie is the same. John Saxon has never been a great actor, so his presence does not surprise. A boring story in the spirit of James Bond, incredible and predictable.