THE SWISS CONSPIRACY was advertised as "the ultimate blackmail thriller", and while it's too far from reaching top-notch status, it is a stylish piece of 70s intrigue from across the Atlantic. A B-movie running on overdrive is what you may hardly ever believe, but there is some attention worth grabbing on the action parts that flow at a solid pace, and can provide a few nifty surprises. Just try not to expect plenty of spectacular stunts from a flick like this, although the exotic sports cars are worth a look. If there are certain B-movie stars you can recognize, look for John Saxon in a convincing, but unfortunately brief role of a crook, plus international film starlets Senta Berger and Elke Sommer. And don't forget our major eye David Janssen, who's trying to get things straight with lovely Berger on his wing. A pretty good minor crime classic that delivers a slightly different beat of an ending.
21 Reviews
okay 1970s thriller from Switzerland
ksf-230 July 2008
Swiss Conspiracy opens with a screen of text, explaining that Switzerland has always been the perfect place for people to stash their money, acquired legally or not. How ironic it is that as I am watching this in July 2008, the State Department in Washington DC is formally requesting that the larger Swiss banks provide banking records to the IRS and to the Dept of Homeland Security here in the US. Swiss Conspiracy stars David Janssen, probably best known as the "Fugitive" and "Harry O" and Ray Milland ( Lost Weekend, and all those black & white movies from the 1930s and 1940s). Costars John Ireland, Elke Sommer, John Saxon, and a whole mess of bit parts. Janssen, as David Christopher, must figure out to keep the bank's clients from having their names and secrets exposed by a blackmailer. Has some cussing and violence, including a shoot- em- up right from the beginning scenes. No real big surprises in this one, but its an interesting What-If ... especially now that the U.S. is cracking down on its citizens moving money overseas. An hour and a half well spent. and some interesting photography of Switzerland to boot. Could have done without the silly "Sloop John B" euro re-make, which plays while Christopher is waiting for Denise to get dressed.
A decent thriller
JasparLamarCrabb10 February 2010
Warning: Spoilers
A decent thriller starring David Janssen as a security consultant hired by Swiss bank owner Ray Milland to find out who is trying to blackmail the bank by exposing secret account information. Janssen suspects an inside job and is charged with protecting bank customer Senta Berger. John Saxon, John Ireland and Elke Sommer pop up as various suspects. Janssen is his usual stolid self and Berger is stunning, though really has nothing to do but flirt with Janssen. Ireland and Saxon overact wildly in their brief roles. The direction (by Jack Arnold!) is strictly journeyman work, with a few car chases and one too many dull shoot-outs. The whole thing is tied together nicely in the end. The screeching and over-used music is by Klaus Doldinger.
Fair cosmopolitan thriller
gridoon202411 March 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Whatever its deficiencies may be, "The Swiss Conspiracy" answers at least one question: which of the two famous sex kittens of the 1960s aged more gracefully into the 1970s, Senta Berger or Elke Sommer? The definite answer: Senta. She looks very beautiful in this movie. There is an obvious romantic mismatch between her and David Janssen (who frankly looks old enough to be her father, although he was only about a decade older in real life), and the script remains murky from beginning to end, but the location shooting around Switzerland, a couple of well-done action sequences, and a diverse supporting cast (Ray Milland and David Hess in the same movie?!) help compensate somewhat. ** out of 4.
This is a bad movie, sorry to say.
pheidias15 September 2000
As a devotee of movies about intrigues, conspiracies and white-collar crimes that turn ugly, I was predisposed to like any story set in the glamorous-but-devious world of Swiss banking. And I like John Saxon.
But with very bad sound, clumsy credits, actors not interacting, corny music, a confusing plot (though I guessed the bad guy right away), a subplot more about middle-aged lust than romance, literal-minded camera work and a script so full of cliches there was no room for anything original, I had to give it a 3.
If you like skiing see "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". If you like bank fraud see "Shawshank Redemption". If you like conspiracies, see "Parallax View". If you like untrustworthy older people having sex, see the remake of "The Thomas Crown Affair". And if you want to see all of these in one movie, this is not the one.
I think the makers of this film were trying to make some sort of cross between the plot of a Bond movie and the style of "The French Connection". If you like car chases, you should see it.
"The French Connection", I mean.
But with very bad sound, clumsy credits, actors not interacting, corny music, a confusing plot (though I guessed the bad guy right away), a subplot more about middle-aged lust than romance, literal-minded camera work and a script so full of cliches there was no room for anything original, I had to give it a 3.
If you like skiing see "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". If you like bank fraud see "Shawshank Redemption". If you like conspiracies, see "Parallax View". If you like untrustworthy older people having sex, see the remake of "The Thomas Crown Affair". And if you want to see all of these in one movie, this is not the one.
I think the makers of this film were trying to make some sort of cross between the plot of a Bond movie and the style of "The French Connection". If you like car chases, you should see it.
"The French Connection", I mean.
re transfer quality and movie itself
theresamiszkwitz9 June 2005
Warning: Spoilers
David Janssen didn't seem to have had the best of luck in movies. He appeared in approximately 32 movies while at Universal International and post that he appeared in several to a few movies of varying quality. While several were passable (Marooned, Warning Shot) were passable--watchable if not great--several were plain embarrassments (like "My Six Loves" and "Once is Not Enough").
This movie seems to be among those that Janssen shot for television, where he seemed to have had better luck. If it was on TV, I question why the people that put this out on DVD presented a fouled-up copy with beeping out several words throughout. And it looks as if it had the life--whatever life it had--sucked right out of it. I object to these censored efforts. It is one thing to place cut up versions on television due to legalities. It is another thing entirely to put them to video that I rent or purchase. The people behind this thing really do not have much of an excuse.
The picture looks grainy, the score is badly dubbed and edited and the script and the performances look dismal. The atrocious score robs several scenes of whatever tension and excitement they have going for them. And Janssen looks as if he is merely walking through the whole thing, wondering what in the hell he is doing as a former government agent enlisted by Ray Milland to investigate several cases of blackmail or so you think. John Saxon adds what little life there is to this as a rival to Janssen but when he left, the picture became a boring slog.
It is too bad that the better movies David Janssen made are not! available, like the much better "Birds of Prey" or "Nowhere to Run". Now those are much better than this one.
I give this a 1, and the DVD a 0. Again, these may be low-budget but you can do much better, guys.
This movie seems to be among those that Janssen shot for television, where he seemed to have had better luck. If it was on TV, I question why the people that put this out on DVD presented a fouled-up copy with beeping out several words throughout. And it looks as if it had the life--whatever life it had--sucked right out of it. I object to these censored efforts. It is one thing to place cut up versions on television due to legalities. It is another thing entirely to put them to video that I rent or purchase. The people behind this thing really do not have much of an excuse.
The picture looks grainy, the score is badly dubbed and edited and the script and the performances look dismal. The atrocious score robs several scenes of whatever tension and excitement they have going for them. And Janssen looks as if he is merely walking through the whole thing, wondering what in the hell he is doing as a former government agent enlisted by Ray Milland to investigate several cases of blackmail or so you think. John Saxon adds what little life there is to this as a rival to Janssen but when he left, the picture became a boring slog.
It is too bad that the better movies David Janssen made are not! available, like the much better "Birds of Prey" or "Nowhere to Run". Now those are much better than this one.
I give this a 1, and the DVD a 0. Again, these may be low-budget but you can do much better, guys.
What are you crazy! He's US Justice Department!
sol-kay22 November 2009
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS*** High flying and tension-packed thriller involving this plan by a gang of financial crooks to expose a number of Swiss Bank's clients secret numbered bank accounts unless they get 10 million francs from the bank president Johann Hurtil, Ray Milland, and 1 million francs apiece from five of its secret numbered account depositors! And that's a whole lot of Nathan's hot-dogs if you ask me!
Trying to keep the lid on the blackmail plot Pres. Hurtil gets former US Justice Depertment Agent David Christopher, David Janssen, to get to the bottom of what's behind all these threats to expose his client's secret accounts and at the same time keep the police and especially the newspapers out of it. That's in order not to have the bank's other clients withdraw their millions in fear of their accounts, like the one's now threatened to be made public, being exposed as well!
***SPOILER ALERT*** Christopher very soon realizes that all this exposing of bank numbered accounts is not a breach of bank security but an inside job by one or a number of bank depositors! These blackmailers are using their knowledge of the bank's secret account records to feather their own, very hefty, nests and at the same time make it look like their in fact the victims! That's in order to throw off suspicion on them by the Zürich Police Depertment!
Playing it by ear Christopher starts to put all the loose ends together that lead him to be targeted by one of the bank's clients Chicago hoodlum Bob Hayes, John Saxon. Hayes feels that Christopher, whom he had dealings with in the past, is a bigger threat to him then those who made his account , and it's millions of US dollars in it, public! Not playing with a full deck, in his almost psychotic hatred of Christophrer, Hayes completely overlooks the fact that the boys back in the Chicago Syndicate, whom he's been skimming illegal profits off, are a far bigger danger to him then the ex-US Justice Dept, Agent David Christopher! The not too swift, when it comes to using his head, Hayes ends up getting iced or suffocated to death by the two hit-men Krosak & Sando, Curt Lowers & David Hess, that the Syndicate sent over to Zürich to whack him.
It's later when the payoff, now in 10 million dollars in uncut diamonds not Swiss Francs, is about to be made that the very clever-like he's referred to in the movie-David Christopher finally realized who behind this blackmailing as well as murder, with number of people already dead, plot! That leads to the film's exciting and heart-stopping climax on top of the Swiss Alps! Breathtaking final sequence with Christopher, after putting away the bad guys, fading out of the picture and becoming almost invisible. This as the camera pulls back to where Christopher is barley a microscopic speck on the screen against the mighty Swiss Alps that end up completely engulfing him!
The film "The Swiss Conspiracy" also has those two sexy European beauties, both from Germany, Senta Berger & Elke Sommers in it to keep you interested when the action starts to lag a bit. There's also in the film Swiss actors Inigo Gallo & Hans-Jorg Bahl as Zürich policemen Capt. Frey & his assistant Sgt. Schwand. It's Capt. Frey and Sgt, Schwand's Swiss-like precision in their police work that in fact did more to not only capture the bad guys but also prevent David Christopher from being murdered by them!
Trying to keep the lid on the blackmail plot Pres. Hurtil gets former US Justice Depertment Agent David Christopher, David Janssen, to get to the bottom of what's behind all these threats to expose his client's secret accounts and at the same time keep the police and especially the newspapers out of it. That's in order not to have the bank's other clients withdraw their millions in fear of their accounts, like the one's now threatened to be made public, being exposed as well!
***SPOILER ALERT*** Christopher very soon realizes that all this exposing of bank numbered accounts is not a breach of bank security but an inside job by one or a number of bank depositors! These blackmailers are using their knowledge of the bank's secret account records to feather their own, very hefty, nests and at the same time make it look like their in fact the victims! That's in order to throw off suspicion on them by the Zürich Police Depertment!
Playing it by ear Christopher starts to put all the loose ends together that lead him to be targeted by one of the bank's clients Chicago hoodlum Bob Hayes, John Saxon. Hayes feels that Christopher, whom he had dealings with in the past, is a bigger threat to him then those who made his account , and it's millions of US dollars in it, public! Not playing with a full deck, in his almost psychotic hatred of Christophrer, Hayes completely overlooks the fact that the boys back in the Chicago Syndicate, whom he's been skimming illegal profits off, are a far bigger danger to him then the ex-US Justice Dept, Agent David Christopher! The not too swift, when it comes to using his head, Hayes ends up getting iced or suffocated to death by the two hit-men Krosak & Sando, Curt Lowers & David Hess, that the Syndicate sent over to Zürich to whack him.
It's later when the payoff, now in 10 million dollars in uncut diamonds not Swiss Francs, is about to be made that the very clever-like he's referred to in the movie-David Christopher finally realized who behind this blackmailing as well as murder, with number of people already dead, plot! That leads to the film's exciting and heart-stopping climax on top of the Swiss Alps! Breathtaking final sequence with Christopher, after putting away the bad guys, fading out of the picture and becoming almost invisible. This as the camera pulls back to where Christopher is barley a microscopic speck on the screen against the mighty Swiss Alps that end up completely engulfing him!
The film "The Swiss Conspiracy" also has those two sexy European beauties, both from Germany, Senta Berger & Elke Sommers in it to keep you interested when the action starts to lag a bit. There's also in the film Swiss actors Inigo Gallo & Hans-Jorg Bahl as Zürich policemen Capt. Frey & his assistant Sgt. Schwand. It's Capt. Frey and Sgt, Schwand's Swiss-like precision in their police work that in fact did more to not only capture the bad guys but also prevent David Christopher from being murdered by them!
Looks like something you'd see on European TV
blanche-22 July 2007
David Janssen is an ex-U.S. treasury agent who finds himself involved in "The Swiss Conspiracy," a 1976 film that boasts a large array of old stars and actors: John Ireland, Ray Milland, Elke Sommer, John Saxon and Curt Lowens, plus the beautiful Senta Berger and a European cast. Janssen is David Christopher, who is asked to help a Swiss bank whose clients are being blackmailed with exposure of their numbered accounts. The stakes get higher when two of the victims are killed.
Words fail me but I'll go on anyway. First of all, this movie looks like it was transferred to DVD illegally - it even skips at one point with Janssen mouthing non-existent dialogue. The quality of the film is very grainy, and it looks like the movie was cut, too.
The film was made 5 years before David Janssen died, and he looks like he's going to succumb either during the film or the day after it wraps. If there was ever a tired, worn out actor, he's it. Ray Milland also looks to be at death's door. Did Bela Lugosi's makeup man do the makeup for this, or did they just go straight to a mortician? John Saxon turns in one of the worst performances I've ever seen, and that's saying something - I've seen Sonny Tufts in movies. An embarrassment of a New York accent to go with an awful performance.
The story isn't bad but by the time the movie is over, you're past caring. The scenery is gorgeous, however. There is one hilarious moment. One of the characters falls off of a huge cliff. Well, obviously, they used a dummy. When it hit the ground it bounced into the air - WAY into the air before landing someplace else. What I like best is that they left it in the movie. It made it almost worth watching.
Possibly this was made for television though for what country, I don't know. Maybe they dubbed it and it was shown in Europe. It really looks made on the cheap and like these actors worked for lunch and a cot.
Words fail me but I'll go on anyway. First of all, this movie looks like it was transferred to DVD illegally - it even skips at one point with Janssen mouthing non-existent dialogue. The quality of the film is very grainy, and it looks like the movie was cut, too.
The film was made 5 years before David Janssen died, and he looks like he's going to succumb either during the film or the day after it wraps. If there was ever a tired, worn out actor, he's it. Ray Milland also looks to be at death's door. Did Bela Lugosi's makeup man do the makeup for this, or did they just go straight to a mortician? John Saxon turns in one of the worst performances I've ever seen, and that's saying something - I've seen Sonny Tufts in movies. An embarrassment of a New York accent to go with an awful performance.
The story isn't bad but by the time the movie is over, you're past caring. The scenery is gorgeous, however. There is one hilarious moment. One of the characters falls off of a huge cliff. Well, obviously, they used a dummy. When it hit the ground it bounced into the air - WAY into the air before landing someplace else. What I like best is that they left it in the movie. It made it almost worth watching.
Possibly this was made for television though for what country, I don't know. Maybe they dubbed it and it was shown in Europe. It really looks made on the cheap and like these actors worked for lunch and a cot.
"I'll change into something less comfortable."
classicsoncall10 April 2012
Warning: Spoilers
It's a sad day when I get more out of a film by reading the reviews here on the IMDb boards than by watching the picture itself. My DVD copy had poor audio quality making it hard to follow the dialog, so I barely made out that some sort of conspiracy was involved in blackmailing a Swiss bank and some of it's clients into NOT revealing their identity. Somehow by the end of the story there was a chase on for a bag of uncut diamonds which I guess was part of the blackmail demand, but that really wasn't very clear to me.
So there's really not a whole lot here to recommend this story, although individual elements might be noteworthy. A couple of German beauties grace the screen; Senta Berger as a nominal love interest for leading man David Janssen, and Elke Sommer in an underused role as the mistress of a bank VP. I didn't get the attraction between Berger's character Denise Abbott, and Janssen's David Christopher, but I guess these stories need some kind of romantic sub-plot to keep them going.
What amused me were those two hit-men who kept running around trying to knock off Christopher. They looked like a couple of fugitives from Gabe Kaplan's inner city high school class in 'Welcome Back, Kotter'. Actually they did a pretty nasty job on John Saxon in the early going, which made me wonder why Saxon's name was up there in the credits above Ray Milland and Sommer. Not going to lose any sleep over it though.
The other odd thing that struck me throughout the picture was how Christopher, the bad guys and Swiss detective Benninger (Anton Diffring) all wound up running into each other over the course of the story in a city as large as Zurich. Like in that scene when the hit-men shoot at Christopher and wind up hitting the bank VP, and the authorities arrive right at that moment. How does that work?
When all is said and done however, here's what I really want to know - how did they retrieve David Christopher's car after turning it into a teeter totter on the edge of that cliff?
So there's really not a whole lot here to recommend this story, although individual elements might be noteworthy. A couple of German beauties grace the screen; Senta Berger as a nominal love interest for leading man David Janssen, and Elke Sommer in an underused role as the mistress of a bank VP. I didn't get the attraction between Berger's character Denise Abbott, and Janssen's David Christopher, but I guess these stories need some kind of romantic sub-plot to keep them going.
What amused me were those two hit-men who kept running around trying to knock off Christopher. They looked like a couple of fugitives from Gabe Kaplan's inner city high school class in 'Welcome Back, Kotter'. Actually they did a pretty nasty job on John Saxon in the early going, which made me wonder why Saxon's name was up there in the credits above Ray Milland and Sommer. Not going to lose any sleep over it though.
The other odd thing that struck me throughout the picture was how Christopher, the bad guys and Swiss detective Benninger (Anton Diffring) all wound up running into each other over the course of the story in a city as large as Zurich. Like in that scene when the hit-men shoot at Christopher and wind up hitting the bank VP, and the authorities arrive right at that moment. How does that work?
When all is said and done however, here's what I really want to know - how did they retrieve David Christopher's car after turning it into a teeter totter on the edge of that cliff?
What a waste!
bensonmum22 May 2006
Warning: Spoilers
What's up with David Janssen? I've seen any number of films he stars in and I've yet to see why or how the guy made so many films, especially late in his career. I know he made some good stuff early on like The Fugitive, but does anyone find the David Janssen that appeared in The Swiss Conspiracy appealing? Are we really supposed to believe the scenes of him in bed with Senta Berger? I'm not buying it for a second. He's got that greasy, unwashed look to him like he's on a three-day bender and has had one too many bottles of Scotch and just finished his third pack of cigarettes before noon. Actors like Clint Eastwood can scowl through a whole movie and look tough. Janssen just looks like he's got some sort of lower intestinal problem. And what's with that hair? Why in the world would anyone grow their sideburns long enough to comb them back over their ears? Did he really think that was a good look?
As for The Swiss Conspiracy, there's a reason you can buy it in the U.S. for $1 from every public domain company to come down the pike it's not very good. It's amazing that you can take a cast that includes the aforementioned Janssen (regardless of my rant, I still like him), Senta Berger, John Saxon, John Ireland, Elke Sommer, Ray Milland, and Anton Diffring and make something this bad. Each of these actors appeared in any number of films that I enjoy. But not here. Part of the problem is that most of these actors are so underutilized that you wonder what made them want to do this film in the first place. Take John Saxon. His tough, Chicago hood character would have been great had he stuck around for more than 10 minutes. What a waste!
As for The Swiss Conspiracy, there's a reason you can buy it in the U.S. for $1 from every public domain company to come down the pike it's not very good. It's amazing that you can take a cast that includes the aforementioned Janssen (regardless of my rant, I still like him), Senta Berger, John Saxon, John Ireland, Elke Sommer, Ray Milland, and Anton Diffring and make something this bad. Each of these actors appeared in any number of films that I enjoy. But not here. Part of the problem is that most of these actors are so underutilized that you wonder what made them want to do this film in the first place. Take John Saxon. His tough, Chicago hood character would have been great had he stuck around for more than 10 minutes. What a waste!
A great buy for Europhiles!
leczorn23 April 2005
The thing that attracted me to this movie was its title. I love Europe and have long had a fascination with Switzerland both for its beauty and its fierce, unwaivering independence and neutrality. Plus, I'm into women from the German speaking countries and this movie stars two beautiful ones, Elke Sommer and Senta Berger! So for $1.99, it was an automatic buy for me! So what if I wasn't clear about the plot?! To start off, the movie gets my award for the most attention grabbing intro that I've ever seen. A waiter in a fancy restaurant wheels a cart up to a table, pulls a gun out of his pants and shoots the customer - all in the first 30 seconds.
We later find out that the man killed in that scene was crooked arms deealer Georg Rasher of Vienna (the actor who plays him is uncredited) - one of five holders of secret accounts at a Swiss bank who recently received a blackmail notice that threatens to expose the account unless 1,000,000 Swiss francs are paid. In addition, the bank is told to pay 10,000,000 francs to keep the accounts secret. The total of 15,000,000 francs demanded is said to be the equivalent of about $6,000,000.
To investigate, the bank hires David Christopher (played by David Janssen), a former U.S. Department of Justice official who now resides in Geneva. In the course of his investigation, Christopher talks to the four living blackmailees - lovely Zürich resident Denise Abbott (Berger), who becomes his obligatory love interest, Texas businessman Dwight McGowan (John Ireland), Chicago crook Robert Hayes (John Saxon) and Dutchman Andre Kosta (Curt Lowens). It turns out that Christopher and Hayes already have a negative history with each other, which isn't surprising, as volatile and obnoxious as Hayes is.
Like many good mysteries, this movie gives us several suspects to choose from including Rita Jensen (Sommer), the mistress of the bank's vice president, Franz Benninger (Anton Diffring), and two men who are out to kill Hayes and Christopher, Korsak (Arthur Brauss) and Sando (David Hess).
Two other characters who add a lot to the movie are the bank's worried president, Johann Hurtil (Ray Milland) and Captain Hans Frey (Inigo Gallo) of the Swiss Federal Police, who is suspicious of Christopher and has several sarcastic run ins with him.
Eventually, the bank decides to cave in and pay the blackmailer. But what action movie hero would go for that?! Christopher, of course, attempts to foil the plot, which leads to a dramatic climax that provides a couple of surprising twists.
Some people complain that this movie is confusing. And I understand their point. To understand it fully, you have to pay very close attention to it from start to finish. It's very cleverly written and if you miss even a minute or two, you'll probably miss something important.
The two cuts of the movie that I've seen are relatively short - 1:20:57 and 1:23:22) - but not a single second is wasted. The movie has so much intrigue from so many sources that there's no room for boredom. There's lots of suspense, the action scenes are exciting and heightened by Klaus Doldiner's progressive jazz-funk music, the scenery (I'm fairly certain that it was filmed entirely in Switzerland) is fantastic and the combination of European and American actors give it a strong international feel.
Judging the movie by itself, I consider "The Swiss Conspiracy" to be a great movie. But its technical quality leaves a significant amount to be desired. Visually, it's decent, but the sound wavers from solid to weak, sometimes in the same scene. At several points, the dialogue is so soft that it's hard to decipher - so much so that I rewound, turned up the volume very loudly and sometimes still couldn't pick out the words.
Also, I warn you that on the cheapie DVD that I have, some of the editing is embarrassingly sloppy. And the transfer apparently comes not from an original source but rather a TV company as the obscenities are silenced! There is a free version available for download at http://www.publicdomaintorrents.com. It apparently is the theatrical version of the movie or at least closer to it than the cheapie DVD version is. The movie has apparently become public domain. I don't know how it reached that status but it's very sad that it did.
In conclusion, "The Swiss Conspiracy" is a great mystery thriller that could have been something spectacular with a big budget. Still, it is my favorite obscure movie of all time. I love the movie so much that I have a web page for it at http://www.geocities.com/theswissconspiracy and an e-mail discussion list for it at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theswissconspiracy.
Only the movie's technical deficiencies prevent it from getting a perfect 10. As it is, I rate it 9/10.
We later find out that the man killed in that scene was crooked arms deealer Georg Rasher of Vienna (the actor who plays him is uncredited) - one of five holders of secret accounts at a Swiss bank who recently received a blackmail notice that threatens to expose the account unless 1,000,000 Swiss francs are paid. In addition, the bank is told to pay 10,000,000 francs to keep the accounts secret. The total of 15,000,000 francs demanded is said to be the equivalent of about $6,000,000.
To investigate, the bank hires David Christopher (played by David Janssen), a former U.S. Department of Justice official who now resides in Geneva. In the course of his investigation, Christopher talks to the four living blackmailees - lovely Zürich resident Denise Abbott (Berger), who becomes his obligatory love interest, Texas businessman Dwight McGowan (John Ireland), Chicago crook Robert Hayes (John Saxon) and Dutchman Andre Kosta (Curt Lowens). It turns out that Christopher and Hayes already have a negative history with each other, which isn't surprising, as volatile and obnoxious as Hayes is.
Like many good mysteries, this movie gives us several suspects to choose from including Rita Jensen (Sommer), the mistress of the bank's vice president, Franz Benninger (Anton Diffring), and two men who are out to kill Hayes and Christopher, Korsak (Arthur Brauss) and Sando (David Hess).
Two other characters who add a lot to the movie are the bank's worried president, Johann Hurtil (Ray Milland) and Captain Hans Frey (Inigo Gallo) of the Swiss Federal Police, who is suspicious of Christopher and has several sarcastic run ins with him.
Eventually, the bank decides to cave in and pay the blackmailer. But what action movie hero would go for that?! Christopher, of course, attempts to foil the plot, which leads to a dramatic climax that provides a couple of surprising twists.
Some people complain that this movie is confusing. And I understand their point. To understand it fully, you have to pay very close attention to it from start to finish. It's very cleverly written and if you miss even a minute or two, you'll probably miss something important.
The two cuts of the movie that I've seen are relatively short - 1:20:57 and 1:23:22) - but not a single second is wasted. The movie has so much intrigue from so many sources that there's no room for boredom. There's lots of suspense, the action scenes are exciting and heightened by Klaus Doldiner's progressive jazz-funk music, the scenery (I'm fairly certain that it was filmed entirely in Switzerland) is fantastic and the combination of European and American actors give it a strong international feel.
Judging the movie by itself, I consider "The Swiss Conspiracy" to be a great movie. But its technical quality leaves a significant amount to be desired. Visually, it's decent, but the sound wavers from solid to weak, sometimes in the same scene. At several points, the dialogue is so soft that it's hard to decipher - so much so that I rewound, turned up the volume very loudly and sometimes still couldn't pick out the words.
Also, I warn you that on the cheapie DVD that I have, some of the editing is embarrassingly sloppy. And the transfer apparently comes not from an original source but rather a TV company as the obscenities are silenced! There is a free version available for download at http://www.publicdomaintorrents.com. It apparently is the theatrical version of the movie or at least closer to it than the cheapie DVD version is. The movie has apparently become public domain. I don't know how it reached that status but it's very sad that it did.
In conclusion, "The Swiss Conspiracy" is a great mystery thriller that could have been something spectacular with a big budget. Still, it is my favorite obscure movie of all time. I love the movie so much that I have a web page for it at http://www.geocities.com/theswissconspiracy and an e-mail discussion list for it at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theswissconspiracy.
Only the movie's technical deficiencies prevent it from getting a perfect 10. As it is, I rate it 9/10.
Complex Thriller
bnwfilmbuff4 March 2017
Good cast delivers in this interesting blackmail plot involving Swiss bank accounts. Started somewhat slow but built nicely into a satisfying conclusion. Anton Diffring always adds a nice sinister element to a movie. Ray Milland is perfectly cast as the bank president. Janssen seemed to have a hard time getting into the proceedings but got better as the movie progressed. The other characters were reasonably well developed which gave the movie more depth. Great location shooting, vintage Ferraris, and Senta and Elke were definite pluses. Overall an enjoyable viewing especially if you enjoy Euro-based thrillers.
A disappointment
Wizard-813 May 2013
On the surface, "The Swiss Conspiracy" seems to have a lot going for it. It has a good cast (including David Janssen, John Saxon, John Ireland, and Ray Milland.) It was also completely filmed in Switzerland, a country you don't often see in a movie. Also, the plot, concerning the secretive world of Swiss bank, seems fresher than usual. Unfortunately, the end results simply don't work. The movie is extremely talky, with precious little action to enliven things up. What little action there is is also not that well constructed, coming across as humdrum as those talky parts. And while the cast may be made of professionals, the performances aren't that interesting - maybe the actors sensed they were in a bomb and decided not to make any effort. About all the movie has going for it are some scenic Swiss locations.
There's a Conspiracy Alright!!!
haystack208221 November 2007
This movie was paced so slowly that even snails would be saying "Hello, I'd like to get there sometime today!" The best part of the movie is where this chef in a restaurant goes after someone with a cleaver. After that it goes downhill from there. So yeah, there's a conspiracy to forward the cause of bad films everywhere. I had to watch the ending a couple of times because I kept nodding off. If you are suffering from insomnia, pop this movie in and start watching it. It worked so well,that I almost got fired for sleeping on the job. If you want to see a better movie starring David Janssen, go watch Moon of the Wolf. In fact, the only reason I saw this movie was because it was on a DVD with Moon of the Wolf. It was in a bargain bin at a Walgreens near where I work. The sticker price was one dollar. It was one of those DVD's that are out there that are packaged in one of those slim jewel cases, and the DVD is double sided (a movie on both sides). Although I was surprised to see that Ray Milland starred in this movie. If you want to see a Ray Milland movie that's better, go watch Frogs. It has him and Sam Elliot.
Postcard from Switzerland
Chase_Witherspoon25 February 2012
Little to recommend this tawdry thriller concerning clients of an exclusive Swiss bank whose secret account details are threatened to be exposed unless they pay an extortionist to keep them confidential. Bank's boss (Milland) hires ex-US defence dept investigator (Janssen) to protect the interests of the clients and discover who is behind the blackmail.
Handsome cast includes the no-nonsense Janssen (tippling at every given opportunity), Anton Diffring as the faithful 2IC to Milland, Senta Berger as a ferrari-driving feline with a penchant for bleeding married men, and wasting the considerable talents of Ireland, Saxon and Sommer, all given little opportunity to inject their abilities into essentially minor though not unimportant roles. I thought Curt Lowens and David Hess had the best roles as a pair of ruthless hired killers, though they were ruefully under-employed.
Attractive backdrops, sets, soundtrack and cast don't make a movie without an effective narrative, engaging plot and exciting climax and "Swiss Conspiracy" is lacking in all those aspects; its delivery of the story, which is convoluted and never properly explained is bland, boring and the overall film in spite of its credentials is ultimately very disappointing.
Handsome cast includes the no-nonsense Janssen (tippling at every given opportunity), Anton Diffring as the faithful 2IC to Milland, Senta Berger as a ferrari-driving feline with a penchant for bleeding married men, and wasting the considerable talents of Ireland, Saxon and Sommer, all given little opportunity to inject their abilities into essentially minor though not unimportant roles. I thought Curt Lowens and David Hess had the best roles as a pair of ruthless hired killers, though they were ruefully under-employed.
Attractive backdrops, sets, soundtrack and cast don't make a movie without an effective narrative, engaging plot and exciting climax and "Swiss Conspiracy" is lacking in all those aspects; its delivery of the story, which is convoluted and never properly explained is bland, boring and the overall film in spite of its credentials is ultimately very disappointing.
Blackmailed Bank
AaronCapenBanner24 February 2024
Jack Arnold directed this independently produced thriller set in Switzerland at the Swiss Alps, as five wealthy clients of a Swiss bank find themselves being blackmailed that their account numbers and contents will be made public unless a ransom is paid, so their bank hires former U. S. Justice official David Christopher (played by David Janssen) to investigate the increasingly convoluted mystery where romance and assassins complicate things. Costarring Ray Milland, John Saxon, John Ireland, and Senta Berger.
Though filled with gorgeous and authentic scenery filmed in and around Zurich, unevenly paced film proves to be a medium mystery that never really amounts to much.
Though filled with gorgeous and authentic scenery filmed in and around Zurich, unevenly paced film proves to be a medium mystery that never really amounts to much.
The Swiss
BandSAboutMovies26 November 2023
Warning: Spoilers
You probably know Jack Arnold better from directing movies like It Came from Outer Space, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Tarantula and The Incredible Shrinking Man than spy thrillers. In this movie, a Swiss bank has its infamous secret bank accounts get compromised. They get David Christopher (David Janssen), a former U. S. Treasury official who now resides in Geneva to help.
He meets with the four people being blackmailed - one has already been killed - who include Denise Abbott (Senta Berger), Dwight McGowan (John Ireland), Robert Hayes (John Saxon) and Andre Kosta (Arthur Brauss). Who could be blackmailing them? Well, it could be any of the following people: bank vice-president, Franz Benninger (Anton Diffring), his mistress Rita Jensen (Elke Sommer) or two criminals, Korsak (Curt Lowens) and Sando (David Hess). Whoever the blackmailer is, they demand uncut diamonds as their payoff. Christopher has to head into the Andes, all alone, prepared to face off with whoever the blackmailer or blackmailers may be.
Hey it's 89 minutes long and moves quick. It's not the worst movie you've seen.
He meets with the four people being blackmailed - one has already been killed - who include Denise Abbott (Senta Berger), Dwight McGowan (John Ireland), Robert Hayes (John Saxon) and Andre Kosta (Arthur Brauss). Who could be blackmailing them? Well, it could be any of the following people: bank vice-president, Franz Benninger (Anton Diffring), his mistress Rita Jensen (Elke Sommer) or two criminals, Korsak (Curt Lowens) and Sando (David Hess). Whoever the blackmailer is, they demand uncut diamonds as their payoff. Christopher has to head into the Andes, all alone, prepared to face off with whoever the blackmailer or blackmailers may be.
Hey it's 89 minutes long and moves quick. It's not the worst movie you've seen.
Still working
sergelamarche28 December 2018
Switzerland! Come for the mountains, stay for the banking fraud
Coventry16 March 2019
The legendary director Jack Arnold's last long-feature film is a raw and twisted blackmail thriller set in the beautifully picturesque country of Switzerland. In fact, the opening and closing credits, and many scenic sequences throughout the entire movie, almost make it look as if "The Swiss Conspiracy" is a tourist brochure in motion, as well as a typically 70s Euro-exploitation thriller! "Come to Switzerland! We have a lot more to offer than cuckoo clocks, cheese, expensive wristwatches and dubious bank affairs!" Well, actually, the plot of the film does principally revolve on the infamous Swiss banking structure. David Christopher, a former US government agent now retired and living in Zurich, is recruited as private security officer for a large and prominent Swiss bank. The bank itself, as well as five of its most respectable clients, are blackmailed into paying millions of Swiss Francs, otherwise their secret accounts full of fraudulent transactions will be publicly exposed. Christopher finds that everyone is a suspect, including the bank's Vice President and most of the blackmail victims, since they are borderline criminal and utterly corrupt themselves.
I often encounter the criticism that the plot of "The Swiss Conspiracy" is overly convoluted and almost incomprehensible. Don't be put off, because it's honestly not that difficult to follow! Like any good whodunit thriller, there are red herrings and plot twists, one more predictable and transparent than the other, and the experienced Jack Arnold keeps the pacing steady and the action continuous. The #1 reason for me to watch this film was the awesome ensemble cast! Personally, I never could stand David Janssen, but the supportive cast is downright phenomenal. The cast is a mixture of terrific American cult actors (Ray Milland, John Saxon, John Ireland, David Hess...) and Euro-exploitation regulars (Anton Diffring, Elke Sommer, Senta Berger,...). It's quite violent, with a few brutal and nihilistic executions, but also very entertaining and featuring scenic imagery from one of the most beautiful countries in Europe!
I often encounter the criticism that the plot of "The Swiss Conspiracy" is overly convoluted and almost incomprehensible. Don't be put off, because it's honestly not that difficult to follow! Like any good whodunit thriller, there are red herrings and plot twists, one more predictable and transparent than the other, and the experienced Jack Arnold keeps the pacing steady and the action continuous. The #1 reason for me to watch this film was the awesome ensemble cast! Personally, I never could stand David Janssen, but the supportive cast is downright phenomenal. The cast is a mixture of terrific American cult actors (Ray Milland, John Saxon, John Ireland, David Hess...) and Euro-exploitation regulars (Anton Diffring, Elke Sommer, Senta Berger,...). It's quite violent, with a few brutal and nihilistic executions, but also very entertaining and featuring scenic imagery from one of the most beautiful countries in Europe!
Entertaining, real-location thriller!
JohnHowardReid12 June 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Director Jack Arnold's last theatrical movie (he continued to work in TV until 1984) is also one of his best, thanks to both inspired location filming and a top-rate stellar cast headed by David Janssen, Senta Berger, Ray Milland, John Ieland, Anton Diffring, John Saxon and Elke Sommer. (I've always wondered who decides in what order to list the cast on IMDb? The IMDb order for this movie, for instance, is nothing like the order in which the movie's actual credit titles are listed. Milland, for instance, despite the importance and length of his role, is right down near the end of the main list and gets a shared credit). One problem I had with the movie is the fact that the story's chief villain is obvious (not because of the scripting but simply because of the casting). Nevertheless, the movie does hold one's attention thanks to the charisma of its cast, the rapid flow of Arnold's direction (perhaps a little too fast in places – there was at least one action set-up that I didn't understand) and the producer's spot-on choice of charismatic locations. Available on an excellent Quality (sic) DVD.
A Decent Euro-Thriller Made for American Audiences
rdfranciscritic14 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
You had me at David Janssen, one of my favorite '70s actors!
That Jack Arnold of "It Came from Outer Space" (1953) and "Creature from the Black Lagoon" (1954) fame is in the director's chair, is gravy. Ah, but while he's great on the small screen, with the '70s American TV series "Barnaby Jones," "The FBI," and "Colombo" to his credit: the big screen -- even with the great on-location shooting in Zurich, Switzerland -- is not writer Philip Saltzman's forte. That TV angle needs to be remembered: for when the action hits the snow-covered Swiss Alps for its diamond-recovery climax, I get "The Eiger Sanction" shakes; I wonder if the script crossed the desk of Clint Eastwood's agent. And I wonder when Clint passed, was it offered to Rock Hudson?
Never the less, courtesy of incessant airings of "The Swiss Conspiracy" during the early days of HBO alongside Enzo G. Castellari's "Inglorious Basterds" (1978), I continue to have a soft-spot for this David Janssen political potboiler -- which is how I came to love Sergio Martino's "Casablanca Express" (1989) brand of political-war intrigue; isn't it all just a knock off of William Friedkin's "The French Connection" (1971) and Alan J. Pakula's "The Parallax View" (1974), anyway?
THE PLOT
Janssen stars as David Christopher: a US Treasury official hired as a "security consultant" by a Swiss bank (run by Ray Milland) to track down a blackmailer threatening five of their more lucrative account holders -- including an illegal arms dealer that's shot dead when he refuses to pay the ransom to keep his business dealings, secret. Meanwhile, a Swiss Federal Police agent suspects Christopher is behind the blackmail scam. Yeah, romance -- a kinda creepy one, at that -- ensues between David Janssen and German-Austrian "sex kitten" Senta Berger; he looks way too old for her; even if he is a suave and mysterious, ex-US government official. (Come to think of it: Kirk Douglas excelled at those too-old-for-the-love-interest roles. Maybe this crossed his agent's desk?)
While the plot is rife with the expected, noirish red herrings and plot twists-on-top of plot twists, it all goes down easily enough; you're not left scratching your head wondering what the heck is going on. However, even with the incredible scenery and decently-paced action sequences, this is an Americanized, TV movie-styled flat version of a '70 Euro-thriller; one that appeals to Americans courtesy of the familiar cast in '70s acting stalwarts John Ireland, John Saxon, Ray Milland, Elke Sommer, and Curt Lowens bringing their A-games; for they get us through the somewhat lagging "talky" parts. Ah, but not all is "US" in the casting; noted Swiss actors Inigo Gallo and Hans-Jorg Bahl, also appear.
While I've never come across a copy on Tubi or other VOD platforms all these years later, "The Swiss Conspiracy" comes and goes from You Tube. There's a LOT of bargin-basement copies of this on a variety of shingles in varying degrees of quality: one is a -- pretty bad -- copy paired with one of Janssen's many TV (very cool) movies, "Wolf of the Moon" (1972)," discovered a couple years ago in a Walmart electronics barrel impulse-buy bin (which sits on my video shelf). The copy that is more easily available appears on Mill Creek's "The Swinging Seventies" 50-film pack.
That Jack Arnold of "It Came from Outer Space" (1953) and "Creature from the Black Lagoon" (1954) fame is in the director's chair, is gravy. Ah, but while he's great on the small screen, with the '70s American TV series "Barnaby Jones," "The FBI," and "Colombo" to his credit: the big screen -- even with the great on-location shooting in Zurich, Switzerland -- is not writer Philip Saltzman's forte. That TV angle needs to be remembered: for when the action hits the snow-covered Swiss Alps for its diamond-recovery climax, I get "The Eiger Sanction" shakes; I wonder if the script crossed the desk of Clint Eastwood's agent. And I wonder when Clint passed, was it offered to Rock Hudson?
Never the less, courtesy of incessant airings of "The Swiss Conspiracy" during the early days of HBO alongside Enzo G. Castellari's "Inglorious Basterds" (1978), I continue to have a soft-spot for this David Janssen political potboiler -- which is how I came to love Sergio Martino's "Casablanca Express" (1989) brand of political-war intrigue; isn't it all just a knock off of William Friedkin's "The French Connection" (1971) and Alan J. Pakula's "The Parallax View" (1974), anyway?
THE PLOT
Janssen stars as David Christopher: a US Treasury official hired as a "security consultant" by a Swiss bank (run by Ray Milland) to track down a blackmailer threatening five of their more lucrative account holders -- including an illegal arms dealer that's shot dead when he refuses to pay the ransom to keep his business dealings, secret. Meanwhile, a Swiss Federal Police agent suspects Christopher is behind the blackmail scam. Yeah, romance -- a kinda creepy one, at that -- ensues between David Janssen and German-Austrian "sex kitten" Senta Berger; he looks way too old for her; even if he is a suave and mysterious, ex-US government official. (Come to think of it: Kirk Douglas excelled at those too-old-for-the-love-interest roles. Maybe this crossed his agent's desk?)
While the plot is rife with the expected, noirish red herrings and plot twists-on-top of plot twists, it all goes down easily enough; you're not left scratching your head wondering what the heck is going on. However, even with the incredible scenery and decently-paced action sequences, this is an Americanized, TV movie-styled flat version of a '70 Euro-thriller; one that appeals to Americans courtesy of the familiar cast in '70s acting stalwarts John Ireland, John Saxon, Ray Milland, Elke Sommer, and Curt Lowens bringing their A-games; for they get us through the somewhat lagging "talky" parts. Ah, but not all is "US" in the casting; noted Swiss actors Inigo Gallo and Hans-Jorg Bahl, also appear.
While I've never come across a copy on Tubi or other VOD platforms all these years later, "The Swiss Conspiracy" comes and goes from You Tube. There's a LOT of bargin-basement copies of this on a variety of shingles in varying degrees of quality: one is a -- pretty bad -- copy paired with one of Janssen's many TV (very cool) movies, "Wolf of the Moon" (1972)," discovered a couple years ago in a Walmart electronics barrel impulse-buy bin (which sits on my video shelf). The copy that is more easily available appears on Mill Creek's "The Swinging Seventies" 50-film pack.
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