Executscan Expected more

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Roman Sampson One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

bkoganbing Yul Brynner stars in this espionage drama about a CIA man conducting his own private investigation into the death of his son in an Alpine skiing accident in Austria. What he doesn't know, but soon finds out is that the son's death was all part of a ruse by the Russian KGB to get him over to Europe where he is to be captured and put to death and replaced by a duplicate to infiltrate the CIA and crack American security. If successful this prototype will be used for other people in the USA and our allies in The Double Man.Unwittingly part of the plan is an old friend of Brynner's, Clive Revill and his Austrian wife Britt Ekland. Revill runs an international school there and was once in the espionage business, but now out of it and glad to be. He's not sure he can hack it, but in the end has to make a Solomon like choice.During the middle and late 60s spy movies were a glut on the market due to the success of James Bond. The Double Man isn't the best or the worst of them. Yul Brynner's fans will approve.

lost-in-limbo Just like its leading man Yul Brynner, "The Double Man" is a decently lean, direct and hard-hearted late 60s spy melodrama. A steadfast Brynner simply commands the screen, even when no dialogues are spoken, his psychical presence and glare can knock you down. Here he plays CIA agent Dan Slater who heads to a ski resort in the Tyrolean Alps after the reported accidental death of his son, but he believes it wasn't an accident and unknowingly to him his arrival is actually part of a cunning Cold War ploy. It's a well-handled and good-looking (thanks to the scenic cinematography of picturesque snowy backdrop) presentation, as the plot is thick on intrigue and investigation, as it slowly builds upon its brooding framework. There's nothing particularly exciting about it, as the thrills are few and minor and it's overly talky. However the structure is persistent, as the exchanges have a moody intensity and Brynner carries it along nicely with all that chasing and shadowy scheming going on behind the scenes. The ludicrous twist when it comes isn't much of one, because of the clues that are given. Really it only complicates matters, but this works for its stone cold approach. Franklin J. Schaffner's taut direction is grounded and practical in style, as he lets the story's conflicts evolve and the cast take control. The ever-beautiful Britt Ekland plays an important piece to the plot's stirrings and there's excellent support from the likes of Clive Revill, Anton Differing, Lloyd Nolan and Moira Lister. Also dominating was the instrumental music score. Sometimes it worked, other times it was on overload.

Theo Robertson CIA agent Dan Slater learns that his 16 year old son has been killed in a skiing accident in Switzerland and goes to collect the body . He finds out that his son's death may not have been an accident The 1960s was a decade of wannabe Bond B movies most of them either forgettable or just plain embarrassing . THE DOUBLE MAN is a film that doesn't want to emulate the crazy fast paced antics of James Bond . Instead it has a style similar to something John Le Carre would have written It's not a bad cold war thriller but it is a very and I do mean VERY talkative one with the first hour composed of Dan Slater asking everyone who knew his son if he'd been murdered . Then when the major plot twist is revealed halfway through that the dastardly commies murdered Slater Jnr in order to bring his father to Switzerland you'll find yourself asking some obvious questions like Why did the baddies have to come up with such an intricate plan ? Surely they could have murdered him and home and replaced him with the impostor ?Ah yes the impostor ! How on Earth would this work in reality ? He may know Slater drinks 4 cups of black coffee a day but how would he be able to keep up the pretense for any effective period of time ? It's the sort of film that thinks it's being intelligent but because of the plotting it's far from clever

pygar61 The Double Man beat much of the competition into the Alps, when movies were helping to glamorise skiing holidays. While The Pink Panther had a ski lodge segment, The Double Man anticipates the cable car action and snowy settings of Where Eagles Dare and On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Interesting to note that the director would soon be working on the iconic Planet Of The Apes.Added to the admirable location work are the international cast. There are no stars besides Yul Brynner, but there are several actors I have a lot of time for. Clive Revill in particular adds a solid emotional punching bag for Brynner. His intense and downbeat performance is in contrast to his usual extroverted and comedy roles. Anton Diffring was too often cast as Nazi baddies, but could easily deliver menace without a uniform. He starred in several classic horror films of the period, like Circus of Horrors and The Man Who Cheated Death. A young Britt Ekland amply provides glamour here, before she broke it big as a Bond girl.I grew up watching this movie on TV and always tuned in for the cast, the twisty plot and especially the music. It's a little OTT in places but frantically catchy, pumping up the excitement even when there's little of it on screen. The special effects work is subtle and really convincing in selling the central twist...I'm very pleased to see that at least this is out now on DVD in Germany, with an English language voice track option.