The Defector
(1966)
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The Defector
(1966)
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| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Montgomery Clift | ... |
Prof. James Bower
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| Hardy Krüger | ... |
Counselor Peter Heinzmann
(as Hardy Kruger)
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| Roddy McDowall | ... |
Agent Adams
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Macha Méril | ... |
Frieda Hoffmann
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David Opatoshu | ... |
Orlovsky
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Christine Delaroche | ... |
Ingrid Weiß
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Hannes Messemer | ... |
Dr. Saltzer
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Karl Lieffen | ... |
Major Windisch
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Uta Levka | ... |
Mädchen unter der Dusche
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Montgomery Cliff (in his last role) plays James Bower, an American physicist visiting West Germany who's recruited by a shady CIA agent, named Adam, to help them with the defection of a Russian scientist. But an East German secret agent, named Peter Heinzeman, learns of Bower's meeting with Adam and threatens Bower to mind his own business, while Bower learns of a back story to all this involving stolen microfilm that each side wants. Written by Anonymous
A melancholy air permeates The Defector. Perhaps the knowledge that this was Montgomery Clift's last role taints the viewer's experience somewhat but there certainly is very little else memorable about the film. Clift looks gaunt and nervous and even the actors around him seem to sense his imminent demise.
Raoul Levy (who also died the same year) directs with a listless hand and never draws any emotion from what could have been a much more resonant movie. Levy had just come off a terrific little road movie about hit men called Hail Mafia! (65) and in that light we are doubly disappointed with this lackluster effort.
Cynicism is the main theme here and although the film tries to take on the larger issues of patriotism, loyalty and betrayal it pulls up short, relying instead on cliché and a surface resemblance to better examples in the genre.