. George C. Scott stars as a retired detective who investigates the death of a friend, Adrian Messenger, who left behind a list of names that may have been connected to the event. There are cameos by Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster, Robert Mitchum, and Frank Sinatra, all under heavy makeup, and most dubbed with other voices. Douglas also uses several heavy disguises throughout. I enjoyed this despite the silliness of the makeup gimmick. Douglas and Mitchum were easily detectable, while the others not so much. I liked seeing Gladys Cooper as a slightly sloshed widow, Clive Brook 30 years after Cavalcade, and Huston's eldest child Tony as Brook's doting grandson.
I know from reading Huston's biography (as well as those of his daughter Anjelica) that the director's sole interest in making this were the fox hunting scenes, the last of which he even cameos in as a participant. I can do without seeing that distasteful pastime, but it didn't ruin things enough to make the movie a wash, either.
I know from reading Huston's biography (as well as those of his daughter Anjelica) that the director's sole interest in making this were the fox hunting scenes, the last of which he even cameos in as a participant. I can do without seeing that distasteful pastime, but it didn't ruin things enough to make the movie a wash, either.