Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Ariella Broughton It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Richard Chatten Leslie Nielsen spends most of the final third of this film pursued by a hit man while disguised in joke spectacles with a false moustache; but it's not a comedy!The jaunty credits sequence suggested more light-hearted fare than we actually get; and despite the fact that four people get murdered the British censor still only gave it a 'U' certificate. Maybe the producers didn't let director Robert Douglas - best remembered by film buffs as a cold-eyed villain in Hollywood swashbucklers, recently turned TV director - in on the joke. This was the only feature film Douglas ever directed - plainly shot on a shoestring even by British 'B' movie standards - and I suspect this was also originally intended for TV as well; especially as the handsome fellow he brought with him from Hollywood to play the lead was also a TV mainstay at the time. (At odd moments he suggests a certain goofy comic flair that might have flourished in more adroit hands; I wonder what became of him?)Much of the film resembles a rather talky and sub-par British 'B' of the period with the usual obtrusively loud jazz score, redeemed as usual by considerable period charm and occasionally enhanced by excellent location photography by Arthur Lavis and featuring the usual suspects like Eric Pohlmann as a ruthless killer and Cyril Raymond as a detective; neither wearing their usual moustaches, ironically.The era it evokes now seems as remote as the silent era; with the McGuffin taking what then seemed like the incredibly high-tech form of a spool of magnetic tape containing sensitive political information.

Woodyanders Retired American OSS officer Alan Holiday (an earnest and credible performance by Leslie Nielsen) lives in London, England. He's visited on New Year's Eve by the beautiful Catherine Carrel (a charming portrayal by breathtaking brunette knockout Aliza Gur), who claims to be a friend of Holiday's former boss Jules Lemoine (a solid turn by Hugh Latimer). Lemoine convinces Holiday to carry out a secret mission that involves retrieving an important tape. Director Robert Douglas, working from a compact script by Harry Spalding, relates the enjoyable story at a brisk pace and treats the silly material with admirable seriousness. This movie further benefits from such amusing goofy touches as Holiday eluding detection by wearing Groucho Marx-style glasses and a guy in a bear suit. Eric Pohlmann makes a strong impression as hefty and lethal brute Krogh. Moreover, there's some mighty tasty eye candy provided not only by Gur, but also by lovely blonde Dorinda Stevens and the insanely yummy Edina Ronay. Kenny Graham's swinging jazz score hits the groovy spot while the sharp black and white cinematography by Arthur Lavis gives the picture a crisp noirish look. The tight 65 minute running time ensures that this film never gets tedious or overstays its welcome. A fun little quickie.

edwagreen This 1964 film would have fared far better had it been a comedy. We know that Leslie Nielsen could do drama, but a comical interpretation of the film would have enhanced it, especially when on board on New Year's Eve, Nielsen puts on an outfit where he practically looks like Groucho Marx.Instead, this film, clumsily down, becomes one where people are trying to smuggle a tape out of England to France, and two of the people are immediately killed by a heavy-set man using gadgets on his prey.There is very little plot here if any, and of course, one of the ladies turns out to be in with the bad guys.

Homeric Personally I would not call this a 'sleeper' as another reviewer has done. It is just not that good. Not that it is a stinker by any means, but it is only average at best for the spy genre. While watching I had the impression that it was made to capitalize on the James Bond movie "From Russia With Love", in which Aliza Gur had a small part incidentally. Nielson is somewhat of a lackluster leading man and just doesn't have the wit, charm, or presence that is required in this type of film. The best thing about it is the black and white photography and the direction isn't bad either. However, the dialog is corny, the acting never believable, and the plotting poor. The DVD print is top notch with both sound and picture of high quality. And as I said, the B&W photography does lend some interest. Not a throw-away, but average at best.