Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Tom Courtenay | ... | ||
Romy Schneider | ... | ||
Alan Badel | ... |
Alec Hadrian
|
|
![]() |
James Villiers | ... | |
Leonard Rossiter | ... | ||
James Bolam | ... |
Albert
|
|
Fiona Lewis | ... | ||
Freddie Jones | ... |
Philip Proudfoot
|
|
James Cossins | ... |
Jeffcock
|
|
![]() |
James Maxwell | ... |
Rollo
|
Edward Hardwicke | ... |
Lambert
|
|
Ronald Lacey | ... |
Curtis
|
|
Phyllida Law | ... | ||
Geoffrey Bayldon | ... | ||
Frank Middlemass | ... |
Bruce
|
Gerald Otley, a petty thief and garbage rummager, wakes up one morning, after a drunken night on the town, and finds that he is wanted by the police for murder. And that is only the beginning. While being pursued for a crime he did not commit, he is kidnapped by a group of criminals who suspect him of being involved with double agents. Otley manages to escape, but cannot avoid getting into one near-fatal crisis after another, as police and foreign agents chase after him. It is a wild week of misadventures which Otley will never forget! Written by alfiehitchie
Interesting little gem from the swinging sixties. Tom Courtney plays Otley, a down-on-his-luck antiques dealer in the Portobello Road in this comedy spy thriller.
He's kicked out of his digs after he's gone past his sell-by date in terms of the attentions of his randy landlady because he can't pay his way and is forced to go from friend to friend at a party in order to be put up for the night.
Otley manages to reel in a favour from one of his friends, but blunders into a spy plot when that friend is murdered in the flat and Otley is forced on the run. Otley has little aptitiude for anything but antiques and even this ability has to be questioned considering his circumstances.
The plot meanders continuously and is a little confusing but is of little consequence. We are not meant to focus too much on it, because the film centres on how this hapless bungler manages to squirm free from one episode to another whilst we enjoy the scenery. A high point of the film is when he goes to take his driving test which turns into a car chase with some villains around the backstreets of London.
The supporting cast contains some good character actors and includes Leonard Rossiter playing a hitman. Romy Schneider plays the femme fatale, but is curiously underused. An enjoyable 'sub-sub-Bond' adventure if you don't expect too much.