Tawdry tale of former revolutionary (Morrow) believed to be deceased, now taking on the establishment as an exclusive assassin, whose next mission is to cancel the ticket of a retired judge (Mynhardt) en route to an even bigger catch; unless intense internal security Captain (Van Dissel) can crack the code and take him down. Sounds appealing, and while the storyline is basically coherent, and the film technically competent, the pace and action are sorely lacking.
Very talky, the moments that should evoke suspense fail the test and consequently, the film labours to its climax. Morrow is assured in his role as the "chameleon" of sorts (he dons an Al Jolson face as a disguise to blend in with the indigenous population) and Van Dissel seems like a can-do actor - it's a shame they didn't have better direction as you could imagine how much better the material could have been handled. There's a strained romantic plot swerve between Van Dissel and Getz which adds a bit more melodrama to the already soporific pace, so fortunately Sam Williams isn't bad as Morrow's trusted right-hand man, indispensable until he becomes expendable.
Shot in South Africa, there's plenty of texture in the scenery, the dialogue is functional and realistic, and the characterisations have some depth - but the end result is like being at a funeral; it's slow and miserable. Should have been better, but maybe worth a look if you enjoy a B-grade espionage caper.
Very talky, the moments that should evoke suspense fail the test and consequently, the film labours to its climax. Morrow is assured in his role as the "chameleon" of sorts (he dons an Al Jolson face as a disguise to blend in with the indigenous population) and Van Dissel seems like a can-do actor - it's a shame they didn't have better direction as you could imagine how much better the material could have been handled. There's a strained romantic plot swerve between Van Dissel and Getz which adds a bit more melodrama to the already soporific pace, so fortunately Sam Williams isn't bad as Morrow's trusted right-hand man, indispensable until he becomes expendable.
Shot in South Africa, there's plenty of texture in the scenery, the dialogue is functional and realistic, and the characterisations have some depth - but the end result is like being at a funeral; it's slow and miserable. Should have been better, but maybe worth a look if you enjoy a B-grade espionage caper.