Director: Dick Clement
Playing somewhat against type, Tom Courtenay stars as the bumbling layman who finds himself entangled in an espionage conspiracy following his friend’s murder. It’s familiar material for parody – this being a clear response to the Bond phenomenon – however the needlessly complicated plot leaves no room for authentic suspense and Austrian bombshell Romy Schneider is underutilized. Although some of the jokes work, the majority fall completely flat – this is the kind of movie where a half-shaven beard is taken as wit. One car chase sequence, which occurs while Courtenay is testing for his drivers license, shows inept direction and editing in that the reaction shots, rather than amplifying the humor, rid the scene of it entirely due to their placement and the inadequacy of the performances.
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