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The Executioner (1970)

GP | | Drama, Thriller | June 1970 (UK)
The Executioner Poster
A British intelligence agent must track down a fellow spy suspected of being a double agent.

Director:

Sam Wanamaker

Writers:

Jack Pulman, Gordon McDonell (story)

Stars:

George Peppard, Joan Collins, Judy Geeson | See full cast & crew »
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Cast

Credited cast:
George Peppard ... John Shay
Joan Collins ... Sarah Booth
Judy Geeson ... Polly Bendel
Oskar Homolka ... Racovsky
Charles Gray ... Vaughan Jones
Nigel Patrick ... Colonel Scott
Keith Michell ... Adam Booth
George Baker ... Philip Crawford
Alexander Scourby ... Prof. Parker
Peter Bull ... Butterfield
Ernest Clark ... Roper
Peter Dyneley ... Balkov
Gisela Dali ... Anna
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stefan Gryff Stefan Gryff ... Shay Cell Group Surrvior
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

Explosive international intrigue results when British Intelligence agent John Shay suspects Booth, a colleague, of being a double-agent. Although Shay's superiors warn him against an investigation, he travels to Greece and Turkey in order to check out his suspicions. There, Shay becomes involved with a beautiful woman who was once her lover, and is now Booth's wife. Before long, Shay realizes that he is being used as a Communist pawn, and has fallen into grave danger. Written by alfiehitchie

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

espionage | british | intelligence officer | undercover agent | greece | See All (22) »

Taglines:

Every day he lives, somebody else dies!

Genres:

Drama | Thriller

Certificate:

GP | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents »
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Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1970 (UK) See more »

Also Known As:

Călăul See more »

Filming Locations:

Athens, Greece See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ameran Films See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

An actor as well as a director, Sam Wanamaker though does not appear in this film. See more »

Goofs

At the start of the film one of the dead victims lying by the empty swimming pool is startled and moves when the car explodes, with his head and arm moving. See more »

Quotes

John Shay: I thought you guys used Pentothal.
Balkov: We ran out.
See more »

Crazy Credits

During the closing credits, in the background is the final scene showing a tower with a light that rotates, shining alternately green and white light. The credits change colors repeatedly as if the tower light is shining on them. See more »

Connections

Referenced in The Executioner's Song: An Interview with James Bryan (2015) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

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User Reviews

 
Excellent Seventies Cold War Spy Story
28 June 2010 | by robert-temple-1 – See all my reviews

Sam Wanamaker did a very good job of directing this excellent Cold War spy drama, back in the days when no one imagined the Cold War would ever end. The story is essentially British, so the excuse for using the American star George Peppard in the lead is that 'he grew up in America', hence has the accent. Peppard was always good in these parts as the good guy struggling against the forces of darkness, whether Nazis or Communists. He is romantically involved with the popular ingénue actress of the day, Judy Geeson. Sam must have thought she looked a bit too cute in real life, so he stuck some studious spectacles on her face to give her a bit of gravitas. Judy really was extremely cute, and a very sweet-natured person as well. I met her back then along with her parents and sister, and what a 'cute clan' they all were. They were great art lovers and liked to go to private views, which is how I met them all together like that. They had a particular favourite artist whom they always patronised, but I can't remember who he was. Judy's greatest asset was that lovely look around her eyes, which made her such an irresistible sight for any camera, or any fellow, for that matter. Good old Oscar Homolka is here called upon for the n-th time to play a defecting Russian spy, and does even better than usual. Joan Collins does a good job of acting, playing a difficult and amorous ex-lover (type casting?), and generally Sam could be said to get the best out of his actors because he was one himself, so he knew how to treat them and understood the pressures they were under. This is a rollicking good tale of the times, not as sophisticated and profound as le Carré of course, then then who was? There are the usual deceptions, twists, double-crosses and triple-crosses, all good stuff.
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