This rather silly thriller is saved by a truly gorgeous Roger Moore, a glamorous 60's London setting and some great retro visuals - for the most part. The plot concerns agitators, international intrigue and a nest of spys that suck an ad man (Moore) and a Hungarian beauty (Claudie Lang) into the fray. The action and characters remind one of
North by Northwest (1959) and the whole film comes off in hind sight as Moore's audition for James Bond.
This is a film to watch if you're fond of swinging London, the Mods, glamorous clothes and settings and you don't mind a somewhat derivative plot and extremely bad process screen sequences. There are a number of scenes that are pure comedy because of the green screen effects. Look for Bernard Lee, "M" from the Bond series, in a small role.
Crossplot is available on DVD and can be watched instantly on Netflix. The trailer is above, uploaded to YouTube by britflix.
Obscurity factor: 8 (not well remembered, available on DVD and Netflix instant)
Interesting to note that the film was written by contributors to TV's "The Saint" - also starring Moore.
ReplyDeleteIndeed. It has a bit of a TV quality.
ReplyDeleteThis site may soon fall under the "obscure" category! Throw us a bone!!!!!
ReplyDeleteJust watched this film on TCM. Not that bad if you accept, as you call it, the tv quality backdrop shots and stagey direction. Moore is a delight and one can see this as his "audition" for 007, complete with Bernard Lee (M) for good measure. As for Ms. Lange, makes me want to get a visa for Hungary. Hokey but enjoyable.
ReplyDelete