dayvidd naykidd
The movie had a lot of potential, unfortunately, it came apart because of a weak/implausible story line, miscasting, and general lack of content/substance. One of the very obvious flaws was that Sean Connery, who played an Arab man, didn't know how to pronounce his own Arab name! This may seem a small flaw but it points to the seeming lack of effort in paying attention to details. The quality of acting was uniformly well below average. Movie's solitary saving grace was the twist in the plot at the very end; and a french song (I don't recall the title). Overall, it was a pretty bad movie where Sean Connery was visibly miscast.
manuel-pestalozzi
I watched a DVD version of this movie, called The Arab Conspiracy, a pretty choppy affair in several aspects. Yet, I felt well entertained. Cornelia Sharpe stands out as the most efficient and deadly contract killer I have ever seen, a kind of a Mutant Mata Hari. And she looks it too, like someone you really do not want to mess with, if it can be avoided.From a historical and political viewpoint the story is not entirely without interest. It is basically about Arab politicians who try to break away from the stalemate in the Middle East which persists up to the present day – and get bumped off one by one. Sean Connery plays a Saudi aristocrat who as the envoy of his country has the audacity to propose an integration of Isreal and that country's economical and scientific know-how into the region – signing herewith his death penalty.I find it notable that this movie was released three years before the Camp David agreements, five years before Egyptian president Anwar as-Sadat's assassination. One could even say it was prophetic. It must also be noted, and I give the movie credit for this, that the motives of all protagonists (not least the deadly female) are left pretty much in the dark. The victims of the mentioned murders seem to be anything but selfless idealists. Connery's character appears to be primarily a gambler and a pleasure-seeker. It is insinuated that underneath all what happens and can be seen there lies a highly complex structure of power relations and interdependencies, like a fungus, that cannot be overlooked in its whole by any of the protagonists. Maybe that is the curse of the Middle East.
Ben Burgraff (cariart)
SPOILERS! IF YOU PLAN TO WATCH THIS TURKEY, BEWARE!Sean Connery had been on an incredible 'roll', beginning with the all-star 'whodunit', MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, in 1974. A so-so suspense film (twenty years ahead of it's time) about airline terrorism, RANSOM, followed, then THE WIND AND THE LION, THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING, and ROBIN AND MARIAN, in rapid succession. Three 'classics' in a row, and the international press were hailing Connery as the world's greatest actor, a gratifying title to an actor many claimed would be 'typecast' forever as James Bond, just four years earlier.Then came THE NEXT MAN, ending the string of hits...THE NEXT MAN wasn't the worst movie Connery would ever make (I'd nominate THE AVENGERS for that honor, though METEOR also has it's supporters), but the story, of a professional 'hit woman' who seduces her victims into falling in love with her before she 'offs' them, just wasn't of a caliber of his previous work, and sparked snide comments that the Scot actor would do "anything for money".The film's star, Cornelia Sharpe, was an attractive actress of average talent, better known for her nude pictorials in Playboy than for her film work. As a cold-blooded assassin, she was only truly effective in the early part of the film, strangling Adolfo Celi (best known as 'Emilio Largo' in THUNDERBALL) with a plastic bag, in a rather distasteful sequence.Her next 'assignment' would be Arab diplomat Khalil Abdul-Muhsen (Connery), whose peace overtures towards Israel were alarming radical Arab leaders. She takes on the job methodically, winning his confidence with off-handed ease, and beginning her standard seduction.But Connery is funny, charismatic, and a visionary, exuding his trademark sex appeal so effortlessly that the film becomes a full-fledged love story, with montages so blatantly romantic that they might have been 'lifted' from LOVE STORY, itself (watch for an ice-skating sequence; Connery skates VERY well!)The film climaxes as Connery delivers an decisive speech at the U.N. about the need for brotherhood between peoples, a scene so powerful that you wonder why it is in THIS film...then she poisons him, whispering about his "beautiful eyes" as he dies, leaving audiences feeling totally flattened.
Even a twist at the end of the film, promising justice would be served, couldn't make up for the letdown of Connery's death, even if it should have been expected.The film bombed, and was quickly pulled from theaters. Fortunately, Sean Connery's next film, A BRIDGE TOO FAR, about WWII's Operation Market-Garden, would offer one of his best performances, and THE NEXT MAN misfire would soon be forgotten. The same could not be said for Cornelia Sharpe, however; her career quickly evaporated, with only a handful of roles in the nearly thirty years since THE NEXT MAN was released. This is one Connery film you MAY want to skip!
LebowskiT1000
I'm usually not one to say that a film is not worth watching, but this is certainly an extenuating circumstance. The only true upside to this film is Cornelia Sharpe, looking rather attractive, and the fact that this film is REALLY short.The plot in the film is unbelievably boring and goes virtually nowhere throughout the film. None of the characters are even remotely interesting and there is no reason to care about anyone. I'm not sure why on earth Sean Connery agreed to do this film, but he should have definitely passed on this one.The only reason I could see for seeing this film is if you are a die-hard Sean Connery fan and simply want to see everything he's done. Save this one for last though.Well, if you by some miracle end up seeing this despite my review (or any of the other reviews on this site), then I hope you enjoy it more than I did. Thanks for reading.
