Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Donald Seymour This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Verity Robins Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

davegrenfell A good, Bond like thriller, far removed from the standard 60s spy spoofs. Far more serious than even The Ipcress File, this features some very realistic deaths and torture sequences, and a climactic 'tricking the KGB plane' bit that is really nasty indeed. Niven plays it totally straight, with none of the comedy mannerisms that you feel familiar with from films like Casino Royale. A true gem. Bears comparison with The Spy who Came in From the cold.Niven's character is a doctor who once spied during the war. The British Secret Service are desperate for someone who could justifiably visit Beirut to check on one of their spies who's gone missing (he's been shot) and there happens to be a medical conference there. Niven is a car fanatic, and is bribed with the promise of a very rare Cord Le Baron, which is his dream car. The Cord he drives, incidentally, is very similar to Bond's Bentley Continental, which is probably deliberate.The plane he is due to get from Italy to Beirut blows up, and from then on he's really up against it. A very, very well written, well shot and performed movie, with terrific performances all round.

Troopie I happened across this film whilst channel surfing late at night. At first, I thought it was a parody, a bit like 'Casino Royale' -- which Niven must be a lot more proud of! Sadly, I soon came to the realisation that this was not playing for laughs but wanted to be taken seriously. I will concede that Niven, Davenport & others do their best, but the wooden plot, corny lines & truly terribly dated music ruin any efforts by them. This film came out just a couple of years after "From Russia with Love" & is obviously trying to compete with the Bond series. Sadly, it fails miserably. Watch it if you have trouble sleeping, but only if you tire of watching the paint dry!

iroyst-s I saw this film for the first time as teenager and thought it great fun and after 20 years I got the chance to see it again via TNT.I have since seen it at least half a dozen times on TNT re runs and its still great fun to watch. The film is a good attempt to provide some good light hearted humour matched against the absurdity of life's wheel of fortune. A south of England middle aged doctor with a passion for 1930s cord sports cars finds himself manipulated into doing a task for British intelligence only to find himself way out of his depth and up to his neck in intrigue.The doctor is played by the polished David Niven who gives a good believable performance and a host of British character actors are thrown in for good measure and depth .Female distraction is provided by the French actress Francoise Dorleac in one of her last films before her early tragic death. The films international locations span as far as picturesque 1960s Beruit in the days when it was the playground of the rich; before it was destroyed by war in 70s and thus provides a rare glimpse of what was. The film is also a good glimpse of 1960s revolution where old society values clash with the modern realisation that Britain is no longer a world superpower even though it likes to hope or think it is. Then there in the middle of it mirroring this duality is David Nivens middle age character trying to rise to the challenge surprised at what he can still do , but struggling to avoid the consequences of the things he cant and perhaps never could even when he was younger. This is presented with humour and its A DELIGHTFUL view and an enjoyable trip into 1960s film.

davidh-15 Accurate in many respects as regards spycraft and the extensive MI6 registry card indices. Also that arabic scenario - set in Beirut which is where Kim Philby escaped to Russia.David Niven plays a reluctantly doctor persuaded to spy in exchange for a '37 Chrysler LeBaron to replace his 1937 Cord Phaeton.They even had a dig at the, then, new James Bond: Niven; "I hope you realise I'm not a superspy or an agent in black"; LeMesurier:"well that kind of exhibitionism always ends in disaster". The accurate view of MI6!Notable for a poignant appearance of the beautiful but doomed Francoise D'Orleac.The plot is undemanding: Who do I trust? is the pretty girl who seduced me a double agent? The baddies attempt to assassinate the friendly head of an oil state but it all goes wrong for them. can Niven escape the baddies? affable enough but not a masterpiece.