1970·Thriller·1h 38m
7.1
★
Following a triple professional hit a U.S. agent, Paul Sherman, arrives in Amsterdam to investigate a heroin smuggling ring. He finds a city rife with drugs and a police force unable or unwilling to do much about it. With his incognito female fellow agent, Maggie, the American is soon stirring things up.
Directed by Geoffrey Reeve and Don Sharp
murder
holland
drug syndicate
IMDB
N/A
Where to Watch
Cast
Sven-Bertil Taube
Paul Sherman
Barbara Parkins
Maggie
Alexander Knox
Colonel De Graaf
Patrick Allen
Inspector Van Gelder
Vladek Sheybal
Meegeren
Ania Marson
Astrid Lemay
Drewe Henley
Jimmy Duclos
Henny Orri
Herta
Michael Mellinger
Hotel Manager
Crew
Don Sharp
Director
Alistair MacLean
Writer
Don Sharp
Writer
Piero Piccioni
Original Music Composer
Alistair MacLean
Novel
Jack Hildyard
Cinematography
Popular Reviews
1 review
jamblo
7.0★ · 10/26/23
Continuing with my intermittent 'Watch All the Movies Based on Alastair MacLean Books' series (side note, when is someone going to rerelease 'Bear Island'?). This time out, we have a what appears to be a relatively straightforward Euro thriller which is just set in the Netherlands and not a "harsh landscape where man's inhumanity to man is matched only by the extremity of the environment" (I just made that up, but it could apply to many of AM's other works).
First off, let me say that the subtitles on the version available at Tubi are both hilarious and fascinating; my guess is that they originated from a dubbed version of the movie and not with the English-language audio track so that, while they are related to what is being said, they are some times bafflingly wrong (and, though I don't profess to know much about baseball, the subtitles associated with a radio play-by-play at the beginning are legit funny).
The film follows American James Bond analogue Paul Sherman, played by Swedish pop singer Sven-Bertil Taube (who, from his left side only looks eerily similar to 'Let's Dance' era David Bowie, albeit with less hair product), as he arrives in Amsterdam to investigate how heroin shipments originating in the Dutch capital are being transported to the US, which he does. And that's it; there's lots of stuff that happens along the way, but that's the whole story.
I don't mean to suggest that the film should be more complicated, rather that it's kind of interesting it isn't. Instead, the film is way more invested in its moody atmosphere and set pieces as Sullivan moves about the city and environs. Along the way, there's an extensive tailing scene, a visit to a 'hash den,' nuns in fishnet stockings (well, really only one), dolls that look like women about to be murdered, several weakly staged fist fights, an unnecessarily convoluted attempt to kill our hero by making him listen to clock bells real loud, and an ending that manages to be both 'victorious' but also curiously downbeat.
The whole film is actually curiously grim, avoiding almost all of the flashy baubles of the sci-fi fantasy spy genre perpetuated by then-ongoing Roger Moore Bond films and being more akin to grittier '70s cops and robbers/dealers pursuit thrillers. It is hampered by some kind of dodgy acting, mainly by people who seem to have thought that they were in one of those more 'broad' films, and some pretty obvious plot contrivances, but it has a cool score (by Piero Piccioni who Wikipedia informs me was an 'Italian film score composer and lawyer'!), makes use of its setting effectively, and has a couple of oddball left turns that keep things interesting.
If none of that appeals to you though, the other reason you might want to check this out is a truly stunning ~10 minute speedboat chase through the city's canals. Filmed by Don Sharp, who was apparently brought in to zhuzh things up, it's extraordinary (and looks, at time, exceptionally dangerous for the stunt crew) and worth the time just for that sequence. In fact, it's so impressive that I'm kind of surprised that more Letterboxd people haven't seen this movie, let alone reviewed it.
First off, let me say that the subtitles on the version available at Tubi are both hilarious and fascinating; my guess is that they originated from a dubbed version of the movie and not with the English-language audio track so that, while they are related to what is being said, they are some times bafflingly wrong (and, though I don't profess to know much about baseball, the subtitles associated with a radio play-by-play at the beginning are legit funny).
The film follows American James Bond analogue Paul Sherman, played by Swedish pop singer Sven-Bertil Taube (who, from his left side only looks eerily similar to 'Let's Dance' era David Bowie, albeit with less hair product), as he arrives in Amsterdam to investigate how heroin shipments originating in the Dutch capital are being transported to the US, which he does. And that's it; there's lots of stuff that happens along the way, but that's the whole story.
I don't mean to suggest that the film should be more complicated, rather that it's kind of interesting it isn't. Instead, the film is way more invested in its moody atmosphere and set pieces as Sullivan moves about the city and environs. Along the way, there's an extensive tailing scene, a visit to a 'hash den,' nuns in fishnet stockings (well, really only one), dolls that look like women about to be murdered, several weakly staged fist fights, an unnecessarily convoluted attempt to kill our hero by making him listen to clock bells real loud, and an ending that manages to be both 'victorious' but also curiously downbeat.
The whole film is actually curiously grim, avoiding almost all of the flashy baubles of the sci-fi fantasy spy genre perpetuated by then-ongoing Roger Moore Bond films and being more akin to grittier '70s cops and robbers/dealers pursuit thrillers. It is hampered by some kind of dodgy acting, mainly by people who seem to have thought that they were in one of those more 'broad' films, and some pretty obvious plot contrivances, but it has a cool score (by Piero Piccioni who Wikipedia informs me was an 'Italian film score composer and lawyer'!), makes use of its setting effectively, and has a couple of oddball left turns that keep things interesting.
If none of that appeals to you though, the other reason you might want to check this out is a truly stunning ~10 minute speedboat chase through the city's canals. Filmed by Don Sharp, who was apparently brought in to zhuzh things up, it's extraordinary (and looks, at time, exceptionally dangerous for the stunt crew) and worth the time just for that sequence. In fact, it's so impressive that I'm kind of surprised that more Letterboxd people haven't seen this movie, let alone reviewed it.
Continuing with my intermittent 'Watch All the Movies Based on Alastair MacLean Books' series (side note, when is someone going to rerelease 'Bear Island'?). This time out, we have a what appears to be a relatively straightforward Euro thriller which is just set in the Netherlands and not a "harsh landscape where man's inhumanity to man is matched only by the extremity of the environment" (I just made that up, but it could apply to many of AM's other works).
First off, let me say that the subtitles on the version available at Tubi are both hilarious and fascinating; my guess is that they originated from a dubbed version of the movie and not with the English-language audio track so that, while they are related to what is being said, they are some times bafflingly wrong (and, though I don't profess to know much about baseball, the subtitles associated with a radio play-by-play at the beginning are legit funny).
The film follows American James Bond analogue Paul Sherman, played by Swedish pop singer Sven-Bertil Taube (who, from his left side only looks eerily similar to 'Let's Dance' era David Bowie, albeit with less hair product), as he arrives in Amsterdam to investigate how heroin shipments originating in the Dutch capital are being transported to the US, which he does. And that's it; there's lots of stuff that happens along the way, but that's the whole story.
I don't mean to suggest that the film should be more complicated, rather that it's kind of interesting it isn't. Instead, the film is way more invested in its moody atmosphere and set pieces as Sullivan moves about the city and environs. Along the way, there's an extensive tailing scene, a visit to a 'hash den,' nuns in fishnet stockings (well, really only one), dolls that look like women about to be murdered, several weakly staged fist fights, an unnecessarily convoluted attempt to kill our hero by making him listen to clock bells real loud, and an ending that manages to be both 'victorious' but also curiously downbeat.
The whole film is actually curiously grim, avoiding almost all of the flashy baubles of the sci-fi fantasy spy genre perpetuated by then-ongoing Roger Moore Bond films and being more akin to grittier '70s cops and robbers/dealers pursuit thrillers. It is hampered by some kind of dodgy acting, mainly by people who seem to have thought that they were in one of those more 'broad' films, and some pretty obvious plot contrivances, but it has a cool score (by Piero Piccioni who Wikipedia informs me was an 'Italian film score composer and lawyer'!), makes use of its setting effectively, and has a couple of oddball left turns that keep things interesting.
If none of that appeals to you though, the other reason you might want to check this out is a truly stunning ~10 minute speedboat chase through the city's canals. Filmed by Don Sharp, who was apparently brought in to zhuzh things up, it's extraordinary (and looks, at time, exceptionally dangerous for the stunt crew) and worth the time just for that sequence. In fact, it's so impressive that I'm kind of surprised that more Letterboxd people haven't seen this movie, let alone reviewed it.
First off, let me say that the subtitles on the version available at Tubi are both hilarious and fascinating; my guess is that they originated from a dubbed version of the movie and not with the English-language audio track so that, while they are related to what is being said, they are some times bafflingly wrong (and, though I don't profess to know much about baseball, the subtitles associated with a radio play-by-play at the beginning are legit funny).
The film follows American James Bond analogue Paul Sherman, played by Swedish pop singer Sven-Bertil Taube (who, from his left side only looks eerily similar to 'Let's Dance' era David Bowie, albeit with less hair product), as he arrives in Amsterdam to investigate how heroin shipments originating in the Dutch capital are being transported to the US, which he does. And that's it; there's lots of stuff that happens along the way, but that's the whole story.
I don't mean to suggest that the film should be more complicated, rather that it's kind of interesting it isn't. Instead, the film is way more invested in its moody atmosphere and set pieces as Sullivan moves about the city and environs. Along the way, there's an extensive tailing scene, a visit to a 'hash den,' nuns in fishnet stockings (well, really only one), dolls that look like women about to be murdered, several weakly staged fist fights, an unnecessarily convoluted attempt to kill our hero by making him listen to clock bells real loud, and an ending that manages to be both 'victorious' but also curiously downbeat.
The whole film is actually curiously grim, avoiding almost all of the flashy baubles of the sci-fi fantasy spy genre perpetuated by then-ongoing Roger Moore Bond films and being more akin to grittier '70s cops and robbers/dealers pursuit thrillers. It is hampered by some kind of dodgy acting, mainly by people who seem to have thought that they were in one of those more 'broad' films, and some pretty obvious plot contrivances, but it has a cool score (by Piero Piccioni who Wikipedia informs me was an 'Italian film score composer and lawyer'!), makes use of its setting effectively, and has a couple of oddball left turns that keep things interesting.
If none of that appeals to you though, the other reason you might want to check this out is a truly stunning ~10 minute speedboat chase through the city's canals. Filmed by Don Sharp, who was apparently brought in to zhuzh things up, it's extraordinary (and looks, at time, exceptionally dangerous for the stunt crew) and worth the time just for that sequence. In fact, it's so impressive that I'm kind of surprised that more Letterboxd people haven't seen this movie, let alone reviewed it.
