Danger Route

Richard Johnson was a poor man's Sean Connery. So he seemed to be attracted to second rate spy films such as this. The plot is a total mess and it is impossible to work out what is happening and why. This makes it a very challenging film to sit through. Lots of well known actors flit in and out but are unable to revive this boring farargo.

A lacklustre British spy thriller which sets itself Here, There and Everywhere, puffing along in the hopeful wake of the success of the James Bond series. The 'plot', about Johnson becoming embroiled in murder and intrigue when called upon to bump off a defecting scientist, quickly becomes as coma-inducing as it does brain-scrambling for those paying enough attention to care. Seth Holt, along with his regular art director someone or other (check the credits), was responsible for some of Hammer's best 60s suspense films; apart from a few revelatory sequences on a train you'd be forgiven for overlooking this fact on the strength of what is presented here.

This is another movie from the mid 1960's that sought to leap on board the Bond -wagon but for the most fell lamentably short.Richard Johnson - a talented actor deserving of better material-plays a British agent Jonas Wilde who is ordered by his superiors to kill a Czech scientist being held captive by the Americans in Dorset ,Southern england.the reasons are never wholly clear . The over complicated plot sees him getting involved with a senior British civil servant( Harry Andrews ), who vanishes mysteriously ; a double agent (Gordon Jackson)and 4 women who all -quite unaccountably fall for his charms .These are played by Diana Dors ,Sylvia Syms ,Barbara Bouchet and Carol Lynley Wilde is ambivalent about his profession and would love to quit but his bosses will not let him The plot is twisty and too complex and while the odd scene is exciting and the acting is solid, mostly this is confusing and dull with none of the gloss and style of the Bond movies it aspires to be like

Quick-paced suspense film in the mode of Bond but without the bells and whistles and gimmicks or humor. Music, decor, titles, etc. bring back mixed memories of the 1960s. The cast is terrific from protagonist Richard Johnson to his cohorts and antagonists including the four women. All of the latter (Carol Lynley, Diana Dors, Barbara Bouchet, and Sylvia Syms) inhabit their roles and reward the camera in every scene they occupy. Probably more 8.5 than 9 but certainly well above some of the lower ratings posted here. Excellent entertainment.

Dors, Sims, Lynley. Sitar soundtrack. What's not to like? A Richard Johnson flick is never a bad thing, especially in this mid to late 1960s era. Daft plots of charming British Bondish agents risking it all for Queen and Country, up against ne'er-do-well foreigners bent on global hoo-har, at all times charming the Kings Road Popsies. John Mayer provides a cool as you know what soundtrack, niiiiice. Watch this film and look back at the good times back in the day or have your suspicion that you were born to late confirmed. An Amicus Masterpiece.

British assassin Jonas Wilde receives a kill mission from his superior Tony Canning for an East Bloc scientist being held by the Americans. The plot is convoluted. This is not 007 and it's a real muddle. Richard Johnson is no Sean Connery. He's not charismatic. It's definitely a downer but that's actually fine by me. If this wants to be a more serious espionage thriller, then get rid of the Bond girl in a bath tub. I watched this on TCM and there is a big problem with the panning. All in all, this is grim but not in a good way. It's grim in the boring sense. It actually starts with an interesting scene but it's downhill from that point on.

The title song for this movie reminds one of the middle James Bond films--a catchy title woven into an incomprehensible song. Happily, things improve quickly. Jonas Wilde, the licensed killer, is dour and taciturn, but I was empathizing with him before too long. Jonas uses no outrageous stunts, no silly gadgets, and the movie was almost over when I was struck by the realization that there was not a single chase scene. Jonas does not even use a weapon, killing rather with a sharp blow to the neck (I would call it a Judo Chop, except I know nothing of Judo) This film was written so as to leave the way open for sequels; it is a loss none were made.