One that definitely leans more to the realistic side is 1973's Scorpio. Seeing this movie at the video store (yeah, I know, VHS tapes, crazy) for years growing up, I remember always confusing it with Serpico starring Al Pacino. Who knew I had some form of dyslexia, reading what I wanted to? Aired recently as part of Burt Lancaster Day on Turner Classic Movie's Summer Under the Stars tribute, I finally got a chance to watch this movie, separating it from the Al Pacino-NYC cop movie. It is based in some sense of spy reality where everything doesn't always turn out perfectly. The cast is good, and the story interesting for the most part, but even then I never found myself drawn into the movie as a whole.
After pulling off a successful assassination in the Middle East, CIA operative Cross (Burt Lancaster) returns to the U.S. with the hired killer, Jean Laurier (Alain Delon), who helped him pull off the job. Years of service under his belt and top secret knowledge to boot, Cross intends to leave the CIA, but he won't get out so easy. A CIA supervisor, McLeod (John Colicos), has ordered Cross shot on sight to shut him up. Cross goes on the run, heading for Europe as he's forced to leave his wife, Sarah (Joanne Linville), behind. He finds a surprising person trailing him. Wanting nothing more than to become a CIA agent, Laurier is blackmailed by McLeod into hunting down his mentor. He knows him best, how he does things and is promised his position if he can take him out. In a cat and mouse game, who will come out on top?
When I saw this movie on TCM's schedule, I was psyched to finally get to see this spy flick. The cast sounded pitch perfect, the story a familiar if still interesting take on the spy genre. Then I watched it, and something was just missing that I can't put my finger on. The locations are good without being distracting. As he runs, Lancaster's Cross ends up in Washington, NYC, Vienna and all over Europe for quick pit stops. The story keeps you guessing, especially the biggie; why is Cross on a hit list? There is an incredibly well-made chase sequence that allows Lancaster -- still a great physical presence here at 60 years old -- and Delon to do much of their own stuntwork as they race through a high-rise construction site in Vienna. I don't know what went wrong though. While I liked the movie, I wanted to love it. Lack of energy, too sure of itself, something. A piece is missing, and I don't know how to explain it.
The experienced veteran and the rising star newbie, a tried and true plot device that has worked countless times before and will most likely work many more times. Director Michael Winner even used this device a year earlier in the original and underrated The Mechanic. The worry is that because the formula/device is familiar it won't be interesting, but having actors like Lancaster and Delon play the parts has a way of making anything worth watching. Lancaster is one of the coolest actors to ever grace the screen, an effortless cool that you just can't teach. The same for Delon, an actor who underplayed most of his roles. It's great to see him lash out some here. The duo is perfect in their few scenes together, men with genuine appreciation and respect for the other, both knowing one of them will almost certainly die before all is said and done.
Beyond just being cool though, the acting from the whole cast is impressive. Lancaster makes Cross a more than capable CIA operative, one with the ability to handle himself in every situation. More than that though, he's worn down by years in the espionage business, and he wants out. Delon is the youngster who wants it all and is willing to do anything to get it. Not enough for you? A co-star from the classic The Train, Paul Scofield is quite the scene-stealer as Zharkov, a Russian agent who is both a friend and enemy to Cross. His scenes with Lancaster crackle with energy, something I found would have made it into the rest of the movie. Colicos is good as McLeod, a mystery man because we just don't know his motives. Also worth mentioning were J.D. Cannon as Filchock, a CIA agent trying to piece it all together, Gayle Hunnicutt as Susan, Laurier's serious girlfriend, Mel Stewart as Pick, a connected man working with Cross, and Shmuel Rodensky as Lang, a man Cross saved from certain death in WWII.
In a business associated with betrayals, backstabbing and all sorts of crazy shenanigans, it stands to reason we're going to get some twists and turns in a spy movie, right? You would be right. That is where Scorpio works at its highest level. Beyond the strong performances throughout the cast, the last 20 minutes are great as one solid, rational twist is revealed one after another. We get the answers we've been waiting for, and the final shot of the movie is a shocker too. It's been hinted at, but seeing it is quite a capper to a whirlwind finale. The movie is good -- don't think I'm not recommending it -- but it could have been better. Stick around until the end though. You won't regret it.
Scorpio <---TCM trailer (1973): ** 1/2 /****
No comments:
Post a Comment