The MacKintosh Man (1973)

Too much of everything

The Age of Commercialism

hyped garbage

Absolutely brilliant

Mostly, I just didn't care. With both Paul Newman and James Mason, this should have been an interesting and entertaining movie. Yet, somehow, it just never clicks. I knew not to expect a short-term up or chase scenes, but u did expect at least some character development.

This is like existential spy movie, that turns along the way into nihilistic spy movie, that turns into nihilism itself in the end !Obviously, director John Huston had no idea what he was doing. If the goal was another spy movie, then it's bland, uninspired, and lifeless. And if the goal was different spy movie, with slower pace, less action, delayed information, immoral choice, then it ended up as just different, and not even in a good way ! The dissolve editing during the first half was very boring and annoying. However, if you want *really* boring and annoying element, then it's Maurice Jarre's music, or – to be more accurate – Maurice Jarre's sole piece of music. It seemed that the man wrote only one piece of music, then left without writing more to it, or at least variations for it. Then in a strange, if not sadistic, manner; they played it over and over and over again, till your nerves got damaged. And the worst thing is that it felt upbeat and ceremonial, expressing the wrong feelings for most of the time !Paul Newman as British is an early indication that there is something wrong. Nevertheless, I discovered eventually that he was the one bright point around. Dominique Sanda is a beauty yes, however deadly monotonous. Her utterance suited a provocative robot. From start to finish, she had such an unbearable flat face, with mute features, being completely senseless. So when she started to feel the effect of James Mason's sleeping pills, I couldn't decide was she losing her senses, or that was her regular self ?! And while Mason is reliable in anything, I hated to see him walking and talking without much character. He was the calm sophisticated evil guy, so what's new ?! I'll tell you, 2 things : The way his hair looked in the wind. And the hidden wicked meaning behind his role; whereas the political opposition people are unpatriotic, rather spies !!!There were many dumb moments that transformed into funny jokes, and with playing them seriously—the whole thing became a comedy. Count with me : The scene in which Newman steals the diamonds was perfectly idiotic. In fact, most of his action scenes here were between laughable and embarrassing. Look at him carefully while hitting Michael Hordern. Hordern seemed drugged already. And sometimes it was just a slight punch to the air, to get the huger foe unconscious ! Hordern's shooter kept missing Newman while the latter is running in the open, during the daylight ! (they could have made the sun in the shooter's eyes, used fog, altered the scene's time to be at night.. But no interest whatsoever). The car chase was a bit tense, albeit I always thought that the evil guys' car had a drunk driver. He was as if mimicking the moves of the lead's car playfully ! While the heroine's father is dying, and everybody is chasing the lead, and there is a dangerous spy who's escaping out of the nation; the 2 leads find all the time in the world to have a vacation, put on swim suits, listen to music, and enjoy a romance !! Then, the dumbness / fun gets bigger in the third act : The heroine sneaks into the evil man's party in a boldly stupid way. I mean "I forgot my gloves in the car" then voilà, I'm in ?? This is jeu d'esprit more than faux pas ! The evil guy hides his most wanted spy right in front of everybody, on the very yacht which he throws a party on, and – moreover – leaves him without guarding, so when anyone comes across his room, knocks on the door, he opens ordinarily !! When the lead jumps into water, everybody looks in one direction; well, IT'S THE SEA PEOPLE, THE SEA !! The last standoff felt childish, and I couldn't stop laughing during the last shot, where the heroine disappears into darkness; exactly like the movie's possible joy and meanings ! And yet to top it all : the movie's title is a reference to the man who hires the lead to do the job. Now how comedic !!Still the most comedic thing at all is how this movie savors not clearing up anything for you as a viewer. And even if that was done as an influence of the French new wave, the British free cinema, the Italian spinach pizza (whatever !); then what could be the philosophical depth that it led to ?? I believe this question can be included with Bermuda Triangle, and JFK's assassination, in the list of the 20th century's most complicated mysteries !! So when the lead leaves the evil guys go free at the end, you can't comprehend his motives, or judge properly is it a fault or not. Because there is no intellectual content, nor characterization in the first place. And with the very poor quality of the movie as a thriller, then we're having a lose-lose situation, where The MacKintosh Man has none to offer; whether in terms of good surface or any substance. As I told you earlier, it's "Nihilism" my friend !This is a movie about the cold war, that's cold itself. With regard to uninteresting, dull, or frankly bad spy movie from John Huston in the 1970s, then this is The Kremlin Letter (1970) – part 2. To understand what I mean, watch The Kremlin Letter. But I assure to you.. The MacKintosh Man is funnier !

It's hard to believe that so much combined talent results in such a poor movie. Did the John Huston of Maltese Falcon and Sierra Madre really direct this turkey? And the magnificent Paul Newman consented to act (well, barely) in this snooze fest? It starts to make more sense when you know Huston and cast made this purely for contractual reasons. And boy, does it show.....Nobody's even faintly trying to create any suspense. Everybody involved seems to be sleepwalking through the thin plot until the predictable ending. There is absolutely nothing that stands out about this film. It's not even bad enough to be interesting, just dull beyond belief. Only recommended to cure insomniacs.

Despite having authored a string of bestselling thriller novels in the '60's and '70's, Desmond Bagley never enjoyed anything like the fame of his nearest rival, Alistair Maclean. In my view he was the superior writer; check out 'Landslide', 'Juggernaut' and 'Running Blind' if you do not believe me. Whereas Maclean got superlative movies fashioned from 'The Guns Of Navarone', 'Ice Station Zebra', and 'Where Eagles Dare', Bagley's stories were, by and large, ignored by Hollywood. A rare exception was John Huston's 1973 film of 'The Freedom Trap', retitled 'The Mackintosh Man'. Paul Newman plays 'Joseph Rearden', recruited by British Intelligence boss 'Mackintosh' ( Harry Andrews ) for a top secret operation to unmask a traitor at the heart of the establishment. Posing as an Australian jewel thief, he allows himself to be sent to jail for twenty years ( how times change. Nobody would get a sentence like that now even for murder ). A fellow inmate ( Nigel Patrick ) informs him of the existence of 'The Scarperers' - a group who help rich prisoners escape for a large fee. Rearden goes over the wall with Communist spy 'Ronald Slade' ( Ian Bannen ). Some time later, he wakes up in a mysterious country house with sinister German nurse 'Gerda' ( Jenny Runacre ) and creepy 'Mr.Brown' ( Michael Hordern ) for company. But his cover is blown, and he is forced to make a break for it. A phone call to London informs him that Mackintosh - the one man who knows of his innocence - has died...Loosely based on the real-life case of George Blake - a Communist spy who was freed from jail in 1966 by men sympathetic to his cause - this pleasant, old-school spy thriller benefits from a twisty story, location shooting in London, Ireland and Malta, and a first-rate cast. Newman is as solid as ever, and alongside him are some great British stars such as James Mason, Roland Culver, Percy Herbert, and Peter Vaughan, with lovely Dominique Sanda as Mackintosh's daughter 'Mrs.Smith'. Stealing the show, however, is the stunning Jenny Runacre as 'Gerda', who gets to inflict some painful-looking wounds on the star. Wonderful Irish actors like Noel Purcell and Eddie Byrne appear fleetingly. Maurice Jarre's title theme is very much in the same vein as Anton Karras' music for 'The Third Man'.Walter Hill, who wrote the script, later became a major action director with '48 Hours' and 'The Driver' to his credit. He sticks to the book but the ending has been unfortunately changed. Instead of 'Sir George Wheeler's' ( Mason ) yacht being blown up by a limpet mine, we get a more low-key climax similar to that of 'The Ipcress File'. It ends far too quickly for my liking. Rearden deserved better than to be dumped by Smith. I'd also like to know how an old lorry could possibly outstrip a powerful Mercedes on a quiet Irish road. Flaws aside, 'The Mackintosh Man' is an above average time-passer.