Movie Review: The Swiss Conspiracy (1976)

Genre: Thriller  

Director: Jack Arnold  

Starring: David Janssen, Senta Berger, John Saxon, Ray Milland, John Ireland, Elke Sommer, Anton Diffring  

Running Time: 83 minutes  

Synopsis: In Geneva, former US Justice Department official David Christopher (David Janssen) is hired by bank president Hurtil (Ray Milland) to investigate a blackmail plot targeting five bank clients. The victims include the alluring Denise Abbott (Senta Berger), tough Chicago crime boss Hayes (John Saxon), and shady Texas businessman McGowan (John Ireland). Meanwhile, bank Vice President Benninger (Anton Diffring) and his lover Rita (Elke Sommers) may be suspects with means and a motive. As Christopher investigates, the dead bodies start to accumulate, drawing the attention of Police Captain Frey (Inigo Gallo).

What Works Well: The Swiss locations and slick production values provide scenic backdrops, and the complex story rewards attention by delving into sordid secrets hiding behind anonymous bank accounts and stone facades of respectability. Director Jack Arnold mixes action scenes with plot advancements and a mutual seduction, and throws in a couple of red herrings to extend the guessing game all the way to a decent mountaintop climax. The supporting cast contributes an interesting character actor in every role. 

What Does Not Work As Well: David Janssen lumbers through the action with little finesse but many shirt buttons undone. A few of the chase scenes go on for longer than needed, and the final plot explanations are unleashed in a frantic flurry. A couple of Ferraris engage in a high speed duel that unfortunately has nothing to do with the plot. Seemingly extensively damaged, one of the Ferraris emerges unscathed in the very next scene.

Key Quote:

Denise (to David Christopher): I'll change into something less comfortable.

All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.

Movie Review: Our Man In Marrakesh (1966)

A low budget exotic adventure, Our Man In Marrakesh (also known as Bang! Bang! You're Dead!) features plenty of aimless running around, some humour, and a threadbare plot.

Foreigner Philippe is stabbed and killed in Casablanca. Soon afterwards, six tourists including the alluring Kyra Stanovy (Senta Berger) and businessman Andrew Jessel (Tony Randall) arrive in town and board the bus to Marrakesh. One of the six is a courier carrying a $2 million payment intended for sinister businessman Casimir (Herbert Lom), who is fixing a United Nations vote on behalf of mysterious clients.

Jessel is shocked to find the dead Philippe stuffed in his hotelroom closet, and further discombobulated when Kyra gatecrashes his life. They drop off Philippe at the local cemetery then attempt to get close to Casimir while evading his henchman Jonquil (Klaus Kinski). Tourists Fairbrother (Wilfrid Hyde-White) and Lillywhite (John Le Mesurier) are among the candidates to be unveiled as the courier, while tribal leader El Caid (Terry-Thomas) also gets himself involved.

A cheap British spy comedy of sorts, Our Man In Marrakesh does benefit from scenic Moroccan locations, a decent cast, a controlled Tony Randall performance and Senta Berger at her scintillating best. But otherwise this is a scroungy Harry Alan Towers production wallowing near the bottom of the pile labeled glamorous international intrigue.

The opening murder is reasonably promising and carries good echoes of Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much, but director Don Sharp allows momentum to quickly seep away in the Moroccan sun. Most of the rest of the film consists of desultory hopping between locations, all the characters trying but failing to hide abject incompetence behind haphazard humour, unconvincing frolicing and dripping smarm. 

The rudimentary plot threads quickly unravel into irrelevance. Kyra knows a lot more than she reveals, but the bumbling Jessel descends into lovestruck lapdog territory as he faithfully follows her in and out of trouble. For a man capable of fixing United Nations votes Casimir proves inept at connecting with a courier and careless in protecting his secret briefcase. Klaus Kinski leaves an impression as a mostly silent ruthless chief goon, but even his steely-eyed demeanour cannot rescue Our Man In Marrakesh out of the dusty bargain bin.



All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.

Movie Review: The Quiller Memorandum (1966)

A spy thriller, The Quiller Memorandum investigates a group of ultra nationalists in Germany. Compact and often intense, the film targets disposition and tension more than outright action.

After two British agents are killed, Agent Quiller (George Segal) is dispatched to Berlin to continue an investigation into a shadowy neo-Nazi group. He connects with his controller Pol (Alec Guinness) and shakes off his guard Hengel (Peter Carsten). Investigating reports that one of the neo-Nazis worked at a school Quiller meets teacher Inge Lindt (Senta Berger) and romances her to try and extract additional information.

Quiller antagonizes enough people to prompt the extremists into action: he is drugged, kidnapped and comes face to face with Oktober (Max von Sydow), the leader of a far-right group. At a secret location Oktober tries to extract from Quiller information about counterintelligence operations in Berlin, and a dangerous battle of wits and wills erupts between the two sides.

A Harold Pinter adaptation of the Elleston Trevor book directed by Michael Anderson, The Quiller Memorandum dives into the world of undercover spies poking around dangerous corners to uncover existential threats. Partially shot on location in Berlin, the film carries a British sensibility. The action is measured, talk is important, mindgames matter, and mood predominates.

But the film also skips past several gaps in logic. Quiller is an American seemingly working for the British, German authorities are nowhere to be found, and on more than one occasion Oktober and his men leave loose ends to better serve the script than their cause. Anderson allows some scenes to run too long, and most of the secondary characters, particularly Oktober's many henchmen, are statuesque in presence and stiff in character.

Max von Sydow and Alec Guinness add welcome gravitas, but both are marginally over the top and edge towards caricaturish representations of master villain and master spy respectively.

The central passionate relationship is handled better. Notwithstanding the speed with which Quiller connects with Inge, Anderson delicately weaves in the complex romance, with Senta Berger enigmatic in the pivotal role. When Oktober injects the spy with a truth serum Inge as a notional lover suddenly becomes vital for his survival; later her role seeps into the investigation, lapping on multiple shores of subtle danger.

More famous for comedic roles, George Segal is a revelation. He adds oodles of character, staying on the appropriate side of determined but pushing all the boundaries in an unconventional and acid-tongued pursuit of proven killers. Countering extreme nationalism is a dour mission, but Quiller brings individual swagger to the game of shadows.

All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.