FORMAT: DVD
A woman thinks her new man is cheating on her, so she hires her private eye ex-husband John Smith (Robert Horton) to get photos of them in the act. It seems like a simple enough gig, except for the fact that Smith arrives at their pad, he finds a dead body instead. He’s promptly charged with murder and must find the real culprit to clear his name. Fortunately for Smith, he used to be a secret agent and can rely on his wily old boss Max (Sebastian Cabot) to get him out of trouble whenever he’s in a pinch.
The Spy Killer is watchable but forgettable ABC TV Movie of the Week programmer that utilizes lots of talent from the Hammer horror movies both behind and in front of the camera. It was directed by Roy Ward (Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde) Baker, written by Jimmy (The Horror of Dracula) Sangster (based on his novel Private I), and co-stars Barbara (Dracula: Prince of Darkness) Shelley as the ex-wife. Bond fans will also enjoy seeing Diamonds are Forever’s Jill St. John as Smith’s girlfriend.
Baker and Sangster try to meld the spy and private eye genres with mixed results. The idea of an American secret agent now making his living in London as a gumshoe had potential. However, because of the Made for TV production values, it winds up feeling like a Hammer version of a Quinn Martin production.
Horton is kind of bland, but since his character’s name is John Smith, I think he was supposed to be nondescript. Cabot seems to be having fun as a more sinister version of M, and some amusement can be had from seeing the usually gregarious Mr. French getting embroiled in international espionage. St. John is kind of wasted in a thankless girlfriend role, but she still looks great. Unfortunately, Shelley pretty much disappears after the opening.
No comments:
Post a Comment