The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997)

Murray is mistaken for a spy and must stop a plot to assasinate international leaders at a banquet.

Director:

Jon Amiel

Writers:

Robert Farrar (novel), Robert Farrar (screenplay),

Stars:

Bill Murray, Peter Gallagher, Joanne Whalley

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bill Murray	...	Wallace Ritchie
Peter Gallagher	...	James Ritchie
Joanne Whalley	...	Lori
Alfred Molina	...	Boris 'The Butcher' Blavasky
Richard Wilson	...	Sir Roger Daggenhurst
John Standing	...	Gilbert Embleton
Simon Chandler	...	Hawkins
Geraldine James	...	Dr. Ludmilla Kropotkin
Anna Chancellor	...	Barbara Ritchie
Nicholas Woodeson	...	Sergei
Cliff Parisi	...	Uri
John Thomson	...	Dimitri
Janet Henfrey	...	Ms. Goldstein
Terry O'Neill	...	Spenser
Isabel Hernández	...	Consuela (as Isabel Hernandez)

Storyline

An American gets a ticket for an audience participation game in London, then gets involved in a case of mistaken identity. As an international plot unravels around him, he thinks it's all part of the act.

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Plot Keywords:

spy | bomb | theatre | assassin | banquet | 

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Taglines:

He's on a mission so secret, even he doesn't know about it.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for language, innuendo, comic violence and sensuality

Details

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 November 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Watch That Man

Filming Locations:

Dingwall Road, Croydon, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

DEM 573,393 (Germany) (5 June 1998)

Gross:

DEM 573,393 (Germany) (5 June 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Regency Enterprises, Polar Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the hotel after the interrogation, Boris walks out of the room to call Dr. Kropotkin and says: "Uri, get the rubber sheets... and watch that man," (pointing to Bill Murray's character). "Watch That Man" is the title of the novel on which the movie is based.

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Goofs

Dr. Ludmila Kropotkin's name is nonsense in Russian. According to grammatical rules, Kropotkin is supposed to be a male whereas Ludmila is a female name.

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Quotes

James Ritchie: [about Wallace] I never knew someone could forgot so much without a severe blow to the head.

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Connections

Referenced in The Nostalgia Critic: Space Jam (2008)

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Soundtracks

"The Last of the Secret Agents"
Written by Lee Hazlewood
Performed by Nancy Sinatra
Courtesy of Boots Enterprises, Inc.

User Reviews

Excellent parody!

Anybody who didn't enjoy this movie didn't get it... it was one of the most hilarious parodies I've ever seen. But, perhaps the circumstances of my initial viewing overly influenced my opinion. On a business trip to DC in 1998, I saw "The Game" with Michael Douglas and Sean Penn on the way out... great movie, but very heavy and deep. However on the way back, this movie was playing. Based on initial reviews I wasn't expecting much, but watching it was like someone purposely made a funny version of The Game, and I probably annoyed my fellow passengers as I was laughing so hard. I thought Murray was at his best, not unlike Chevy Chase in the Fletch movies (shame they didn't make more of those), as they were both in their comical element.

The coincidental (or perhaps not) pairing of these two films really added to my enjoyment of both. On a cold rainy weekend, I strongly recommend renting both and watching them in the same order I did… you won't be disappointed!