The accidental discovery of the wreck of an airplane reawakens a dormant intelligence file. Once again, identical questions arise with regard to the crew, the passengers and - especially - the cargo. Unwillingly, Professor Audley, who was dragged from his beloved Middle East desk, finds himself chasing some boxes that could have contained anything, from Hitler's baby clothes to the German Navy's 1944 supply of spare bolts...
I dimly remember reading the source material, to wit "The labyrinth makers" by Anthony Price, which I liked. If my memory serves me well then this is a close and faithful adaptation. (I gather there are other Anthony Price adaptations floating around, but so far I have not seen them.) Anyway, "Cold War killers" tells a clever espionage tale about intelligence and counterintelligence agents from both sides of the Iron Curtain who search for the same elusive cargo. As befits the genre, the British agents do not only do battle with their Communist counterparts but also with each other : much energy is spent on polite-but-vicious quarrels over turf, money and personnel.
The plot is quite intricate. Here one deception nestles within another, in a manner reminiscent of these ivory balls-within-balls seen in musea. The cynical ending confirms the thesis that knowledge equals power.
The movie comes with a fine performance by Terence Stamp, as the resourceful Professor Audley. (Did you SEE Audley's modest little abode ? The one with the cackling geese ? Sweet Jesu, how much do they pay these intelligence guys ? No wonder the British taxpayer complains !)
I dimly remember reading the source material, to wit "The labyrinth makers" by Anthony Price, which I liked. If my memory serves me well then this is a close and faithful adaptation. (I gather there are other Anthony Price adaptations floating around, but so far I have not seen them.) Anyway, "Cold War killers" tells a clever espionage tale about intelligence and counterintelligence agents from both sides of the Iron Curtain who search for the same elusive cargo. As befits the genre, the British agents do not only do battle with their Communist counterparts but also with each other : much energy is spent on polite-but-vicious quarrels over turf, money and personnel.
The plot is quite intricate. Here one deception nestles within another, in a manner reminiscent of these ivory balls-within-balls seen in musea. The cynical ending confirms the thesis that knowledge equals power.
The movie comes with a fine performance by Terence Stamp, as the resourceful Professor Audley. (Did you SEE Audley's modest little abode ? The one with the cackling geese ? Sweet Jesu, how much do they pay these intelligence guys ? No wonder the British taxpayer complains !)