Revisiting films that you are allowed to stay up and watch on The late show as a teenager years later becomes really fun because of the nostalgia of seeing it through the eyes of seeing it in different ages. Watching this at 18 was a thrill, and at 35 even more so. Years later, it's still equally good and possibly better because the plot is not a convoluted mess like other spy movies of the 1960's. I am still equally as thrilled by watching it for the third time, and Yul is just as rugged and commanding as he was as the King of Siam and Rameses, as well as other masculine roles he has played.
There's a lot of tenderness in his performance as the regretful father of a young man whom he suspects was murdered while skiing in the alps. He's a CIA agent who finds that his son's death was part of something else, and it's something that he must stop before it's too late. With Lloyd Nolan as his boss, Britt Ekland as the beautiful young lady who helps him and Moira Lister as the sophisticated owner of a ski chalet, he's got great support.
The location footage of the Alps is outstanding, very cinematic and I'm sure this would look great on a big screen. In fact, I'd give it a fourth visit just to see it in that aspect. The film is non-stop action, quite riveting from start to finish. Other supporting characters played by Clive Revill and Anton Diffring also add color, and even an unspeaking extra, a heavyset woman with a dog sitting next to Brynner on the train, stands out. I would call this a great credit for director Franklin J Shaffner who would have a few other great follow-ups to this, giving an indication why this has fallen into obscurity. Definitely one of the surprising sleepers of the 1960's!
There's a lot of tenderness in his performance as the regretful father of a young man whom he suspects was murdered while skiing in the alps. He's a CIA agent who finds that his son's death was part of something else, and it's something that he must stop before it's too late. With Lloyd Nolan as his boss, Britt Ekland as the beautiful young lady who helps him and Moira Lister as the sophisticated owner of a ski chalet, he's got great support.
The location footage of the Alps is outstanding, very cinematic and I'm sure this would look great on a big screen. In fact, I'd give it a fourth visit just to see it in that aspect. The film is non-stop action, quite riveting from start to finish. Other supporting characters played by Clive Revill and Anton Diffring also add color, and even an unspeaking extra, a heavyset woman with a dog sitting next to Brynner on the train, stands out. I would call this a great credit for director Franklin J Shaffner who would have a few other great follow-ups to this, giving an indication why this has fallen into obscurity. Definitely one of the surprising sleepers of the 1960's!