Woodyanders Shrewd and unscrupulous former secret agent Prof. Robert Elliot (a marvelously ruthless portrayal by the always commanding and charismatic James Coburn) gets a chance to become a top adviser to the President of the United States. However, Elliot must devise a plan to eliminate four people who know about his shady past in order to achieve this goal. Capably directed by Ken Hughes, with a gripping and ingenious script by Barry Levinson and Jonathan Lynn, a steady pace, lively cinematography by Geoffrey Unsworth, a gritty, serious, no-nonsense tone, a robust and rousing score by Roy Budd, a substantial amount of tension, several startling moments of savage violence (a shower murder set piece is especially harsh and shocking), a tough and cynical central theme about the vicious extremes some people will resort to so they can acquire true power, and a real corker of a surprise ending, this unjustly overlooked item sizes up as one extremely effective and engrossing affair. The first-rate cast helps matters a whole lot: Lee Grant as pesky reporter Jean Robertson, Harry Andrews as brutish misogynist Albert Parsons, Ian Hendry as the antsy and squeamish Alex Hellman, Michael Jayston as the reluctant David Baker, Christiane Kruger as the sultry Christina Larsson, and Keenan Wynn as evil businessman E.J. Farnsworth. Moreover, the cold stream-lined efficiency of Elliot's brilliantly diabolical scheme gives this picture an extra potent and chilling edge. Recommended viewing.

cmoyton This is a fantastic 1970's thriller set in England staring James Coburn in one of his best roles as Robert Elliot, an economics expert who is doing a little dirty work on the side for the US government. The motive of industrial espionage is interesting and this movie unlike most similarly plotted movies of the time does not focus on cold war paranoia. When presented with an opportunity to progress in his role as a government fixer he is required to completely detach himself from the network of low level spies he has recruited. Unfortunately for them this means they all have to be killed. The clever script has Coburn arrange for all his contacts to murder each other. As none of them know each other he is able to play on their various fears and weaknesses to coax, cajole and blackmail them into submission. His elaborate plan involves strict timing with each of the the victims phoning Coburn at set times over the duration of one evening while he sits in his office ticking off the preplanned murder sequence he has typed up. Of course the plan doesn't quite work out and the film ends with a superb twist.The only fault i have with the movie is the presence of Lee Grant. Her character (as a journalist) is introduced to show that she once had a relationship with Coburns character, that they still have feelings for each other and that he once may have been a more wholesome person before becoming corrupted. However her characters continual interjections as she investigates Elliot only serve to slow down the story.DVD releases in both the UK and the US have failed to do this movie justice even the most recent "special edition". The low number of reviews posted reflects the relative obscurity of a movie that deserves a wider audience.

JoeytheBrit This largely forgotten film from the darkest days of the British film industry probably deserves to be better known, if only for the fact that it manages to make a long sequence in which one man sits alone in a room waiting for the phone to ring quite suspenseful.James Coburn plays Robert Elliott, a former secret agent who must erase all evidence of his dirty past before taking a job as adviser to the US president. That past comes in the form of four former colleagues – nervy diabetic Ian Hendry, misogynistic cat-lover Harry Andrews, scientist Michael Jayston and call-girl Christiane Kruger. Eliot hits upon the ingenious idea of getting each of his intended victims to do the deed for him, leaving him completely unconnected to the murders. It's a fairly unique idea, and quite well-handled with some quirky characters thrown in (not of least of which is Harry 'A *woman*, Sir?' Andrews), and it is to writer Barry Levinson's credit that he manages to stretch what is a fairly thin plot over a reasonable running time without losing the viewer's interest.The ending belongs in a James Bond movie – although given the recent murder of a dissident Russian journalist, maybe that's not quite true – but it is a delicious pay-off and a fitting fate for an urbane character who is totally lacking in scruples.

MARIO GAUCI Ingenious British-made corporate thriller with an impressive cast well-versed in this sort of thing – James Coburn, Keenan Wynn, Ian Hendry, Michael Jayston and Harry Andrews; Lee Grant provides both a feminist viewpoint and a romantic partner for Coburn. The plot involves Coburn’s rise in the political stakes, abetted by ruthless bigwig Wynn; however, he needs to put his shady past behind him and, to this end, organizes an intricate scheme by which his four former associates will eliminate one another on the same night! Those expecting action, comedy, sex and colorful scenery a' la Coburn’s “Flint” pictures will be sorely disappointed by this low-key, intelligent but humorless character-driven piece – filmed against drab European settings (albeit by the great Geoffrey Unsworth); composer Roy Budd, another genre fixture, delivers an appropriately moody score. Still, the murder sequences themselves (with Coburn bemusedly ticking away each carefully-timed step of his plan) – particularly Andrews’ vicious shower murder of the Christiane Kruger character and the hesitation at carrying out his part of the bargain by the typically angst-ridden Hendry – generate the requisite amount of suspense during the film’s second half.While Grant’s reporter character seems an intrusion at first, her presence (or, rather, Coburn’s callous mistreatment of her) eventually threatens to jeopardize his ‘mission’ – on finally getting wise to his machinations, she’s willing to suppress her affections and expose him for what he is! The film, however, provides a delicious twist ending, which sees the over-confident Coburn getting his come-uppance – even if the audience is clearly rooting for him – at his moment of glory (by the person he least expected it from)! Regrettably, this is only available via a reportedly substandard pan-and-scan R2 DVD; then again, I did watch it in this aspect ratio myself – and dubbed in Italian to boot!