Intrigue (1988) (TV)

Director:

David Drury

Writers:

Robert E. Collins (screenplay)
Robert E. Collins (story)

Release Date:

11 September 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Plot Keywords:

Spy

Cast

Scott Glenn	...	Crawford
Robert Loggia	...	Higbe
William Atherton	...	Doggett
Martin Shaw	...	Roskov
Cherie Lunghi	...	Adriana
Eleanor Bron	...	Sophia
Paul Maxwell	...	Esterbrook
William Roberts	...	Merriman
Don Fellows	...	O'Brian
Blain Fairman	...	Geneva Station Chief
Philip O'Brien	...	Secretary of State
Bozidar Smiljanic	...	T.V. Reporter (as Bozo Smiljanic)
Sanja Plepelic	...	Michelle
Slobodan Dimitrijevic	...	Security Man
Marija Kohn	...	Soprano

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Yugoslavia

Company:

CPT Holdings Inc.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: As he sneaks into his apartment to get the drop on his friend, we see two crew faces reflected in the glass of one of the pictures on the hallway wall.

pretty good...

Recently I've gotten onto a kick of enjoying unglamorous thrillers, that don't involve wire-work, jujitsu acrobatics, special effects or CGI, and this film fit the bill. It is a sometimes gritty but highly realistic look at what it might take to smuggle someone out of a foreign country without the benefit of a private plane, fancy gadgets or an unlimited expense account.

I don't know what '80's problem' the other reviewer had with this film, bit I thought this was a well-done film that only suffered from the economy of being made-for-TV - those 'shortcomings' aren't about the budget, rather they're about pacing. The opening sequence leaves a question unanswered for far too long, and the final scene, which concerns the death of one of the characters is just a bit too 'pat'. But then again, I may be spoiled by the patience exhibited by Fred Zinnemann in his 'Day of the Jackal'.

In a certain sense, this film is a lower-budget cousin to films like 'Jackal' and 'Midnight Express'. There are lots of dead-drops and hand-offs are the product of the protagonist's advance preparation - if you don't have your eyes open, you'll miss a lot of plot-points. Scott Glenn and Robert Loggia turn in acceptable performances with only a few glitches that are directorial errors, rather than errors made by the performers. If you're in the mood for a thriller that doesn't parade any twenty-somethings - or, for that matter, thirty-somethings - with a fairly intelligent script, by all means, check this one out.

Yet another Scott Glenn film (after 'Man on Fire') worthy of a remake, if only to touch up the script and give the film a proper budget.

7/10