The MacKintosh Man (1973)

A member of British Intelligence assumes a fictitious criminal identity and allows himself to be caught, imprisoned, and freed in order to infiltrate a spy organization and expose a traitor.

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

Walter Hill (screenplay), Desmond Bagley (novel),

Stars:

Paul Newman, Dominique Sanda, James Mason

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Newman	...	Rearden
Dominique Sanda	...	Mrs. Smith
James Mason	...	Sir George Wheeler
Harry Andrews	...	Mackintosh
Ian Bannen	...	Slade
Michael Hordern	...	Brown
Nigel Patrick	...	Soames-Trevelyan
Peter Vaughan	...	Brunskill
Roland Culver	...	Judge
Percy Herbert	...	Taafe
Robert Lang	...	Jack Summers
Jenny Runacre	...	Gerda
John Bindon	...	Buster
Hugh Manning	...	Prosecutor
Wolfe Morris	...	Malta Police Commissioner

Storyline

Joseph Rearden takes the fall for a robbery and winds up in the Scrubs. From there he escapes in the company of a convicted spy and is taken to a remote manor at an unknown location where he is kept isolated. He overpowers his guard and flies, but nothing is quite what it seems in this drama of intrigue as Rearden pursues his quarry from Ireland to Malta.

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Plot Keywords:

traitor | diamond | spy | malta | ireland | 

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Taglines:

Only Mackintosh can save them now - And Mackintosh is dead!

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Genres:

Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 July 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Czlowiek MacKintosha

Filming Locations:

County Galway, Ireland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Newman-Foreman Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First and most famous filmed adaptation of a novel by author Desmond Bagley.

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Goofs

When the small plane lands at the airfield, it makes a tire squeal characteristic of landing on tarmac, but it's a grass runway.

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Quotes

Sir George Wheeler: [to Reardon] I like to study the workings of the criminal mind at close quarters whenever I have the opportunity, so please speak out.

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Connections

Referenced in John Huston: The Man, the Movies, the Maverick (1989)

User Reviews

Paul on the downplay

Not your usual late '60's, early 70's Paul Newman flick, where he was cast in more overt starring roles, a la "The Sting" or "Butch Cassidy". The Paul Newman here is more understated and anti-heroic which provides a welcome change to film goers like me who enjoy seeing the Hollywood biggies downplaying their box-office charm by taking on less glamorous, more substantive roles. This political melodrama takes place primarily in a European/British Isles setting, with an all European cast except for Mr. Newman. He portrays an agent who infiltrates a diamond smuggling ring to try to smash that ring's core. During the course of the film, he is pretty well beat up and bandied about by his antagonists, not leaving his pretty boy image much to thrive on. His contact agent, Mrs. Smith (Dominique Sanda), becomes his love interest, not as a torrid screen love affair but more of an quasi-platonic one, where the job at hand takes precedence over the romantic involvement.

The plot and story line is developed nicely by Mr. Huston, who takes us on a European tour that starts in London, then works its way to Ireland and finally to Malta. James Mason does his usual yeoman's job in his rendition of the pompous Sir George Wheeler, the right wing politico big wig who may have his own share of illegal dalliances. Although Mr. Newman is, in fact, the main character, the entire cast comes across very well as more of an ensemble effort, with no one role really outdoing another. It seems that Mr. Huston lent his directorial hand very deftly when it came to letting the film itself be the focal point rather than just one or two actors hogging the spotlight. Not a well known film, perhaps, but one that deserves viewing nonetheless, due in no small part to a most interesting conclusion.