Hopscotch (1980)

A CIA agent tired of his incompetent colleagues retires and dares them to stop him from publishing an embarrassing book of memoirs.

Director:

Ronald Neame

Writers:

Brian Garfield (novel), Brian Garfield (screenplay),

Stars:

Walter Matthau, Glenda Jackson, Sam Waterston

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Walter Matthau	...	Miles Kendig / James Butler / Mr. Hannaway / Leonard Ross
Glenda Jackson	...	Isobel
Sam Waterston	...	Cutter
Ned Beatty	...	Myerson
Herbert Lom	...	Yaskov
David Matthau	...	Ross
George Baker	...	Westlake
Ivor Roberts	...	Ludlum
Lucy Saroyan	...	Carla
Severn Darden	...	Maddox
George Pravda	...	Saint Breheret
Jacquelyn Hyde	...	Realtor
Mike Gwilym	...	Alfie
Terry Beaver	...	Tobin
Ray Charleson	...	Clausen

Storyline

CIA agent Miles Kendig decides to get out of 'the game' and to ensure he's left alone he threatens to send his memoirs to the world's intelligence agencies. When the CIA doesn't believe him, he calls their bluff and starts writing and sending out chapters one by one. Realizing that their operations would be compromised, the CIA (led by Myerson and Cutter) set out to put an end to Kendig's plan by whatever means necessary. The heart of the movie follows a game of cat and mouse between a fumbling CIA and an artful Kendig.

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Plot Keywords:

cia | memoir | spy | seaplane | false passport | 

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Taglines:

The most dangerous man in the world. He's about to expose the CIA, the FBI, the KGB...and himself.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German French Russian

Release Date:

10 October 1980 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Agenten som pratade för mycket

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Edie & Ely Landau Inc., International Film Investors, Sham Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to the DVD special feature 'Introduction by Neame & Garfield", Walter Matthau's agent suggested the film include music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as this would be pleasing to Matthau. So, they made Matthau's character Kendig a lover of Mozart's music. Conductor and arranger Ian Fraser located many pieces of Mozart music for the film but was at a loss for the scenes where Kendig is typing his book. So they asked Matthau if he could make any suggestions and he obliged by finding some.

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Goofs

The Mrs. Myerson's voice in the two phone calls is different from that of actress Anne Haney who actually plays the part in a later scene.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Kendig: Hey Yaskov, how are ya?
Yaskov: Kendig. What as unexpected pleasure.
Kendig: May I have it please?
Yaskov: Have what?
Kendig: I got it all on film, Yaskov. You don't want to deal with the West Germans, they don't like Russian Intelligence, you know that. Just give it to me, and we'll forget all about it.
Yaskov: I could make a run for it, you know.
Kendig: Come on, Yaskov. You running, me chasing? We'd look like Laurel and Hardy.

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Connections

Edited into The Clock (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Largo Al Factotum"
Sung by Tito Gobbi
From The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini (as Rossini)
Courtesy of Capitol-Angel Records and EMI Records Ltd.

User Reviews

Impressive film

The most impressive thing about this movie is the way the director manages the tone of this film. The balance between comedy and drama is handled with great aplomb. This is best in encapsulated in the Myerson character. His ineptness is clearly the comic relief yet he also is trying to hunt down Kendig. I had seen other films where Matthau was in a supporting role like Mirage and Charade but here he is the star and he carries the film perfectly. The new Criterion Collection DVD has a very interesting interviews that add immensely to the appreciation of the film. 8/10.