ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

Konterr Brilliant and touching

Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

lamorak13 I have always been nostalgic about this Euro-Spy film. When very young, I picked up the soundtrack (which is still available if you look for it) and used to listen and dream about exotic locales, adventure, and of course about that special woman that would be a part of it all. I especially like(d) the Ray Anthony song "Love was Right Here all the Time" which plays at the end against a dark screen when the audience is supposed to leave the theater. Just minutes earlier the leading man, Horst Bucholz, had given his heart to the leading lady, then winked at the audience and confided verbally: "It happens to everyone sooner or later." Many in the audience must have smiled and left the matinée filled with no little amount of delight and renewed hope! Also available are lobby cards and a few B&W photos from the movie. If this movie was ever released on VHS in North America, I'm totally unaware of it. In Europe, yes, but apparently many years ago. I finally acquired a copy of this film, dubbed in English, and with Greek subtitles in DVD which had either been taken off Greek television, or a European VHS. My nostalgia was only increased by spending a week in Istanbul myself, as part of the People-to-People Program for "Student Ambassadors," five years after the movie came out. It is Istanbul as I remember it. Twenty-six years later I again journeyed across Turkey and can say that old, freer, almost magical feel that once was Istanbul was largely gone, and the same can be said for all the islands and seacoasts of the Eastern Mediterranean region. So, for me the movie is a fun and romantic snapshot in time.

gridoon2018 A handsome hero with a shady past and a knack for adventure (Horst Buchholz), a beautiful heroine assisting him (Sylva Koscina), evil masterminds and agents, kidnapped scientists, an exotic setting (Istanbul), fights & chases, etc: the stage is set for a 60's Bond-inspired spy adventure. This one begins pretty well, but loses its spark when Koscina (one of the most underrated spy girls of the decade - see also "Deadlier Than The Male") disappears for long sections. Klaus Kinski also elevates the few scenes he is in (and has the best line in the film: "I am considered a good shot by those I have killed"!), but, like Koscina, he is underused. Buchholz is pretty good, both in the tongue-in-cheek and in the more violent moments, but the film is too long at 119 minutes, and about halfway through I began to lose the plot. At least it's better produced than many of these Bondian imitations, though the current VHS prints, fullscreen and worn-out, don't exactly do the production justice. (**)

Bogmeister MASTER PLAN: kidnap scientists and keep the ransom money. The James Bond film this obviously calls to mind first is "From Russia From Love" but, besides the locations, there is very little actual similarity. Horst (the snot-nosed hothead member of the original "Magnificent Seven") stars as a well-known rascally adventurer who is forced to foil the dastardly schemes of a criminal organization after he's targeted as an initial suspect. Koscina offers support as the FBI agent sent in to figure things out; she was in a few such roles in the sixties (see "Hot Enough For June" and "Deadlier Than the Male"). The story jumps around and drags in the first half, as well as being hard to follow. It's also a bit too long at nearly two hours and, as mentioned elsewhere, only washed out prints of the picture seem to be available.The action really picks up in the 2nd half, with Tony (Horst) doing a lot of running around in Istanbul, whether being chased or doing the chasing. At one point, he's thrown off a tower during a fight in the closest we get to a spectacular sequence. The best action bit, though, is when he uses a bulletproof glass table while an assassin takes potshots at him (the killer is played by Kinski in a small, yet memorable role). The action is sort of a mixture of slapstick and straightforward thrills which never really finds the right tone; a lot of it is presented as serious danger, yet Horst also winks at the audience a couple of times. He's probably a bit too cute for Bond fans, strictly for the girls. There's also some surprising (for mid-sixties cinema) bits of female nudity. Hero:6 Villains:5 Femme Fatales:6 Henchmen:4 Fights:5 Stunts/Chases:5 Gadgets:3 Auto:3 Locations:6 Pace:6 overall:5

tcman2 This movie is funny, if campy. Think Peter Sellers meets Sean Connery. It's sometimes serious, sometimes satirical, always a little odd. If you're in the mood for something a bit off-key, this is your movie. "What, me worry?" Classic!