The Double Man (1968)

Really Surprised!

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Artificial and Stiffly Plotted Cold War Spy Film with an Obtrusive and Obese Musical Score. Yul Brynner is the Bald and Unblinking, Unloving and Hard-Hearted CIA Agent. The Movie is Dull at times and every Outdoor Shot is Snowy and Showy Determined to make its Mountainous Ski Resort Part of the Plot. The Film Plods along at an Excruciating Pace and when Something does Happen it is Over Quickly and back to the Boredom.After a Multitude of Silly Shots of Crowds holding Skis and Poles moving On and Off Lifts, the Last Act finally breaks Loose with some Movement but this is Undermined by yet Another Ski Slope Travelogue. Thankfully this one is at Night and We get a bit of Colorful Flares, Whoopee.Britt Ekland is here for some Eye Candy and Her Character is Given Something to do, but Ultimately it's Not Much. Brynner is There to Find Out about His Son's "Accidental" Death and the Reveal is a Surprise if every Reviewer on the Planet hasn't Spoiled it by now.Overall, the Trend of 1960's Bonding of Espionage and Film is Evident once again and Followers and Fans of the Genre might want to take a Look at this one from a Completest Point of View, but Others Can Miss this Without Missing Much.

Just like its leading man Yul Brynner, "The Double Man" is a decently lean, direct and hard-hearted late 60s spy melodrama. A steadfast Brynner simply commands the screen, even when no dialogues are spoken, his psychical presence and glare can knock you down. Here he plays CIA agent Dan Slater who heads to a ski resort in the Tyrolean Alps after the reported accidental death of his son, but he believes it wasn't an accident and unknowingly to him his arrival is actually part of a cunning Cold War ploy. It's a well-handled and good-looking (thanks to the scenic cinematography of picturesque snowy backdrop) presentation, as the plot is thick on intrigue and investigation, as it slowly builds upon its brooding framework. There's nothing particularly exciting about it, as the thrills are few and minor and it's overly talky. However the structure is persistent, as the exchanges have a moody intensity and Brynner carries it along nicely with all that chasing and shadowy scheming going on behind the scenes. The ludicrous twist when it comes isn't much of one, because of the clues that are given. Really it only complicates matters, but this works for its stone cold approach. Franklin J. Schaffner's taut direction is grounded and practical in style, as he lets the story's conflicts evolve and the cast take control. The ever-beautiful Britt Ekland plays an important piece to the plot's stirrings and there's excellent support from the likes of Clive Revill, Anton Differing, Lloyd Nolan and Moira Lister. Also dominating was the instrumental music score. Sometimes it worked, other times it was on overload.

Yul Brynner is a CIA agent who hasn't seen his son in two years, so when the son is killed at a small Austrian ski resort, Brynner is driven by guilt to find his murderer and uncover the motive.Revenge gives Brynner an opportunity to glower his way through the entire film. His face seems carved of wood. If he changed his expression in the slightest, I missed it.He's been with The Company so long that he's paranoid as well as angry. He thinks something is up, something to do with his job at the CIA, and he's determined to unravel the mystery that may exist only inside his head. He belts Britt Ekland around when she's trying to help him, and he tears half her dress off. The former is a bad idea. Oh, he's ignoble. He never says hello or thanks anyone.I don't know exactly how much of this absurd plot I should give away. Maybe a hint. The Soviet Union has tricked him into coming to Austria for his son's funeral. They intend to kill Brynner and plant an exact substitute in his place. It gets twisted until the end, which is hopeful but still a little fuzzy. We hope for the best.Okay, so Brynner has the plasticity of a cigar store Indian, but at least with Britt Ekland you get that face, so full of good bone structure, the enormous blue doll's eyes, and the plump round lips providing a soupçon of sensuality. Well, more than a soupçon. In the context of her diminutive frame that overgenerous mouth looks like it could suck you up through a soda straw.The problem is that the entire movie seems awfully dumb. Ernie Freeman has overorchestrated it until it seems there's hardly a second without throbbing violins or pounding drums. And this William Wilson notion of substituting an exact duplicate is silly.Casting is no help. The ligneous Brynner aside, the chief heavy is Anton Differing, who works for the Commies here, although he's clearly meant to be a German and, in fact, alludes to having "lost two wars." He's been a Nazi in more movies than I can remember. And his Number One, George Mikell, was Sessler, the Gestapo sadist, in "The Guns of Navarone." Hollywood never has trouble switching the identity of the villains around. It's either the Nazis or the Russians. Makes no difference. We hate both of them.Nice features include beautiful shots of the Austrian Alps during the Easter festival, a reasonably perceptive portrayal by Clive Reville of a man torn between duty and self containment, and the scene in which Britt Ekland has her dress torn half off.

"Double man" is now overshadowed ,in Franklin J Shaffner's filmography by the double triumph of "planet of the apes" and "Patton" .Although it's not really in the same league as those two classics ,"double man" is an exciting spy thriller:although the cast and credits ape those of James Bond,the story is something completely different .The first part is slow-moving -which is necessary to bring the second one- but the second grabs the viewer and does not let him till the very end ,which is very cynical ,when you really think about it: the "good " man is saved because he has never loved anybody! There are bizarre clues (Britt Ekland to Yul Brynner :"when he met that man,your son seemed very happy") and a very cold atmosphere in every sense of the term;there are curious hints at the Bible : Lazarus,Easter and the resurrection and the ending is some kind of judgment of Solomon updated .Some aspects of the film even predate Brynner's part in "mondwest"("he's the spitting image of yourself "we would say "clone" today) !Shaffner had a good sense of space (which was remarkable in "planet of the apes" ) which shows when the skiers come down the mountain,with their torch in their hand .The political side is very vague ,and it's essentially a suspense thriller ,certainly worth a watch.