A series of espionage based thrillers produced in England for television, titled CHESSGAME, released in the mid-1980s, includes this excellent example, possibly the best of the lot, with Terence Stamp portraying former Oxford professor David Audley, in charge of a coterie of agents in the employ of the Ministry of Defence (M.O.D.), set against their Russian counterparts. Each film is based upon a novel by Anthony Price, this work's model being first in published sequence: "The Labyrinth Makers", and it retains the original's skillful plotting, character development and intelligence, with Stamp a polished spy in addition to being probably the best groomed. Not long past World War II, a British cargo plane disappears after passing the Belgian coast, reappearing in a Lincolnshire pond that developers are dredging, inducing enormous interest from both the M.O.D. and the Russians, as items being transported aboard the plane have singular significance to all those in the Game. Audley, now assigned as a field officer, and his group are chosen to win a race against the Communists to recover possibly smuggled cargo, his selection in part due to Arabists' distaste for the former educator, a Middle East expert whose close liaison with Israeli operatives has become problematic to his superiors who view him as possibly being compromised and, as a consequence, are not precisely forthcoming with certain information that Audley might require in the contest. The film is tightly constructed, smartly composed and acted, with nary a dull moment, and is paced appropriately to permit the players to craft their parts, the screenplay by Murray Smith being a particular strength, as are also the design by James Weatherup, costumes of Vera Preston, and camerawork of Doug Hallows, while especial credit should be given to flawless sound dubbing by John Whitworth. Wit and intelligence abound, with Audley and his new-found lover Faith (Carmen du Sautoy) developing an engaging relationship, and performances by all of the cast manifestly are being held to a higher standard, including those of Robin Sachs as Hugh Roskill and Michael Culver as Nick Hannah, associates of Audley, John Horsley, who plays Sir Alec Russell, overseer to the English team, and George Pravda as Igor Panin, principal adversary from the KGB. Origin of the film's polish shall be traced to director William Brayn, whose camera setups, blocking, and editing supervision, along with an appreciation of Stamp's unique methods of molding his character, all conduce to successful continuity and a top-flight production.
