Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Aedonerre I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

gridoon2018 For the most part, "Telefon" works like a well-oiled machine. It brings to mind the old saying "they don't make them like they used to anymore", as it takes its time to set up the (ingenious) story and build the relationship between the two central characters: Charles Bronson and Lee Remick have a genuine rapport, and Charlie in particular gives one of his best performances, both repeating his usual tough-and-taciturn persona and subtly having fun with it. On the side of the flaws, Tyne Daly is cute as a computer expert but her scenes don't amount to much, and there is an inexplicable scene near the end where Bronson deliberately "triggers" a sleeper Russian agent (instead of protecting him, or sending him away, or hell, even just knocking him out for a while) and then, of course, he has to kill him. I have never understood what he was hoping to accomplish there. Anyway, despite its flaws, "Telefon" is an above-average Bronson vehicle. **1/2 out of 4.

Claudio Carvalho The radical Russian Nicolai Dalchimsky (Donald Pleasence) steals some names and codes and flees to the United States of America with the intention of beginning the Third World War. The list is formed by ordinary American citizens that are actually brainwashed Russian agents that have been programmed fifteen years ago to destroy military bases and facilities and are triggered through a phone call with a message. The responsible for the secret program, General Strelsky (Oatrick Magee) and Colonel Malchenko (Alan Badel) summon Major Grigori "Gregg" Borzov (Charles Bronson) to travel to the United States to eliminate Dalchimsky. Gregg teams up with the Russian agent Barbara (Lee Remick) that was instructed to obey his orders but does not know what is happening. But Barbara has a secret agenda from her superiors to accomplish by the end of their assignment. "Telefon" is presently a dated rip-off of the central idea of "The Manchurian Candidate", with Russian agents with sleepy instructions and programmed to destroy but it is still engaging. Don Siegel was a master of action and "Telefon" never disappoints. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "O Telefone" ("The Telephone")

Bolesroor Okay, I have to admit I love Charles Bronson. After starring in some classic 60's films like "The Magnificent Seven" and "The Great Escape," he turned into a B-movie action star in the 70's, pumping out a bunch of exciting, entertaining movies that were great to watch with friends. "Telefon" is one of them.It seems Russia has brainwashed average Americans, who go about their daily lives having no idea that they have been programmed to kill when they hear a particular poem over the telephone. Donald Pleasance is the rogue spy activating these sleeper agents with a series of phone calls, and Bronson is the bad-ass Russian Major determined to stop him. He gets sent to America where he partners up with CIA Agent/love-interest Lee Remick. And we're off...First, my love for Bronson. He has to be the ugliest man ever to become a major star, but he doesn't care so why should we? Second, his acting is less than spectacular, but he gets the job done, and his stiffness actually works FOR him instead of against him. Third, although none of his 70's action flicks were by any means great cinema, they still had clever plots, shocking violence, and have stood the test of time as watchable and fun. Whether you're making fun of the movie or completely engaged at face-value, you're never going to be bored. I saw a lot of Charles Bronson movies with my grandmother (who loved him) and it's impressive that movies this old could entertain people with such tremendous age differences and tastes.The movie has its flaws: the cinematography switches between pristine and perfectly lit (the finale) to sloppy and out-of-focus (daytime exteriors)- which was probably the result of the film having two directors. The production values don't seem very good- like many Bronson quickies- and the movie has a made-for-TV visual look about it. Plus, there is one scene featuring Lee Remick in a late-70's leisure outfit (with matching sun visor) that makes her look like a renegade Burger King drive-thru clerk. ("Have it YOUR way... baby") But the movie is light and fast enough that you won't notice the weaknesses.The finale rocks: Bronson comes face to face with Bad Baldy Pleasance in a country roadhouse, and in the ensuing mêlée a real rattlesnake has his head really blown off with a gunshot! (Take THAT, PETA!) For a fun movie check out "Telefon," along with Bronson's classic "Death Wish" and the awesome "Mr. Majestyk"!GRADE: B-

Rodrigo Amaro TCM trailer of the movie "Telefon" was brilliant (of course they mixed with some other movies whose main character was the telephone) and I thought "This is gonna be a helluva movie!". When the name of the writers appeared on the screen it was said that this movie was based on a novel written by Walter Wager. Then I remembered having read the novel which was quite good but the movie went in another way and my disappointment was to see that the young main characters from the book were transformed into middle aged spies. Except that, the movie goes very well specially in the beginning and in the end. The middle is quite boring in some parts."Telefon" tells the story of a uncontrolled Stalinist Soviet agent named Dalchimsky (Donald Pleasence) who wants to cause the 3rd World War by activating Communist field agents living in U.S. and making them explode strategical military targets. How he does that? By simply making a phone call to them and reciting a poem by Robert Frost who makes these agents hypnotized and fulfilling their mission. The reason Dalchimsky is doing all these things is because during the Cold War URSS and U.S. starting a friendly period of diplomacy and he hates all that. Following his tracks are a Soviet Major played by Charles Bronson and a American CIA Agent played by Lee Remick. Like any other flick involving two different characters with one common mission they go in the same path traveled by many other great teams in the story of Hollywood: first they can't stand each other, then they start to work hard in the mission and at last they fall in love to each other. Very obvious. The good reason to watch this movie is that you're gonna see a different side of Charles Bronson, here he doesn't have that image of tough guy and he has some funny lines in the scenes with Remick. There are some good action scenes (when Dalchimsky agents are executing their actions), some funny moments (Tyne Daly's nerd character has a few good scenes; in other annoys a little bit). Considering that "Telefon" was directed by the great Don Siegel this could be a better movie. The main spy couple was totally miscast, in the book they're a passionate young spy couple and their relationship is more physical right in the middle and the movie only develop a little sparkle between the two almost at the end. Donald Pleasence plays the usual sinister guy but the problem was that his character wasn't too much developed in the book and throughout the movie you're gonna see him repeating Frost's poem and you'll never gonna see his character's motivations. But the concept of the uncontrolled brain washed and hypnotized agents are very good. In one of the most memorable scenes a military man tries to kill his captain after hearing a line of the poem but his gun had no bullets. Despite the fact that the theme is dated and it doesn't add nothing new still worth seeing if you enjoy Cold War spy movies. 6/10