Anastas Poltroni (Lloyd Bridges) is a drug dealer who is in a country which won't extradite him to the US to face his crimes. So, the team needs to somehow get him out of this country and back to the States for prosecution.
This show bears a lot of similarity to the later episodes of "Mission: Impossible". Whereas the earlier shows are almost exclusively about missions involving the Iron Curtain and dictators, later they featured mobsters and the like--as the producers of the show made a conscience choice to change the anti-commie tone of the show. I didn't mind a few of these shows, though all of them have one huge problem--you wonder why they simply don't go into this country and put a bullet in the baddie's head! Why all the mumbo jumbo if the show is about crime and not espionage? This is a weakness in "Fakeout".
Another weakness of the show is that several times during the show, there is no way of predicting exactly what Paltroni will do--and the plot relies on him behaving a certain way. Plus, at one point in the show, they actually capture him and then deliberately let him go--even though they should have just kept him! Unnecessarily complex at times.
By the way, I know there are some Sid Haig fans out there, so look for him as Poltroni's henchman. However, look fast as he meets his end rather quickly. Also, on a big-screen TV, watch for the extreme closeups of Bridges when he's with Cinnamon in the hotel room. You can see that his mustache is fake--and you can see the backing on it. I doubt if folks back in 1966 could see this, but thanks to big HD screens, you can spot this. And, if you are looking for Rollin or Willy--don't, as they're not in this one (but I think it's Rollin's voice on the rape recorder late in the episode).
This show bears a lot of similarity to the later episodes of "Mission: Impossible". Whereas the earlier shows are almost exclusively about missions involving the Iron Curtain and dictators, later they featured mobsters and the like--as the producers of the show made a conscience choice to change the anti-commie tone of the show. I didn't mind a few of these shows, though all of them have one huge problem--you wonder why they simply don't go into this country and put a bullet in the baddie's head! Why all the mumbo jumbo if the show is about crime and not espionage? This is a weakness in "Fakeout".
Another weakness of the show is that several times during the show, there is no way of predicting exactly what Paltroni will do--and the plot relies on him behaving a certain way. Plus, at one point in the show, they actually capture him and then deliberately let him go--even though they should have just kept him! Unnecessarily complex at times.
By the way, I know there are some Sid Haig fans out there, so look for him as Poltroni's henchman. However, look fast as he meets his end rather quickly. Also, on a big-screen TV, watch for the extreme closeups of Bridges when he's with Cinnamon in the hotel room. You can see that his mustache is fake--and you can see the backing on it. I doubt if folks back in 1966 could see this, but thanks to big HD screens, you can spot this. And, if you are looking for Rollin or Willy--don't, as they're not in this one (but I think it's Rollin's voice on the rape recorder late in the episode).
