William Beddoes (Garner) is a bank official sent to Lisbon to do a survey. When he's mistaken for the replacement agent for a man who was killed, he steps into a hotbed of espionage, smuggling and assorted underworld characters. He encounters Steve (Tony Franciosa) a young American smuggler masquerading as a Spaniard and Aurora (Mercouri) the former girlfriend of the deceased agent, who has ideas about how to resolve the mess he's fallen into. Meanwhile Steve has been accosted by Amy Franklin (Sandra Dee) a friend from home who's about to blow his cover. Will they figure out where the missing diamonds are before they get bumped off?
This caper comedy has a complicated plot that is deftly handled by a charming cast. Mercouri is delightful as usual and Garner is at his befuddled best. Though the romance between Franciosa and Dee is the least likely aspect of a highly unlikely plot, it's still enjoyable to watch. Look for a funny scene where Mercouri is forced to strip.
Though it's not yet been released on DVD, this film can be found in full on YouTube. Above is the entire film, uploaded by 99WhatsUpDoc99.
Obscurity factor: 9 (not on DVD, available on YouTube, largely forgotten)
Ryan O'Neal has been in his share of obscure films. I'm featuring a few of them this week. This one slipped under the radar in 1981. In a strikingly similar scenario to yesterdays film (The Thief Who Came to Dinner) Joseph Wiley (O'Neal) is an electronics expert who travels to Mexico to get over a divorce and meets a sultry beauty, Holbrook (Anne Archer). They embark on a career of purloinery. This time the loot is limited to emeralds owned by underworld kingpin Meno Argenti (Sharif) who has killed Holbrook's sister, despite wanting Holbrook to marry him.
Though this film didn't do well critically, there is some fun to be had in it. The opening scene depicts the murder mentioned above and is quite disconcerting, which contrasts with the lighter quality to the rest of the film. Sharif is suitably despicable and Archer is beguiling. Look for John Larroquette in an early role and opening credits done by Maurice Binder of James Bond fame.
This film is available on DVD, but is out of print and copies are expensive. It can also be watched on Amazon on demand. Above is the scene where our protagonists use balloons in their bid for the emeralds featuring Maria - Midnight at the Oasis - Muldaur singing "Floating", uploaded to YouTube by RudyHerak.
Obscurity factor: 8 (on DVD, but hard to find, also available online on Amazon, largely forgotten)
