Scorpio

2023 marks the 50th anniversary of Michael Winner's Cold War spy thriller SCORPIO, and it's just as engaging today as when first released in 1973. Director Winner (1935-2013) earned more than his share of critical brickbats during his career thanks primarily to his having directed the controversial DEATH WISH (and two sequels) with Charles Bronson, but his movies have aged well, are entertaining now as excellent time capsules of the 1970s, and a fun watch thanks to his use of big name stars.SCORPIO stars Burt Lancaster as Noah Cross, an aging CIA operative who wants out before discovering that the agency wants him dead ("I want Cross burned" says his boss). They hire French assassin Alain Delon, "Scorpio", to handle the job, even though Lancaster's character trained him. While on the run, Cross hides out in Vienna where his old Soviet adversary Zharkov (Paul Scofield) provides him with sanctuary. What follows is a cat and mouse game between hunter and the hunted. When Cross' wife is killed before he can get her out of America, he returns to the U.S. to get revenge.One aspect contributing to Michael Winner's movies' entertainment factor is he always shot on location which in this case is Washington D.C., (he actually got to shoot inside CIA headquarters), Paris, and Vienna. Winner was also able to muster good performances from his actors and SCORPIO reunites Lancaster with his THE TRAIN co-star Paul Scofield (A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS). Their scenes together in the Viennese safe house are a joy to behold. Delon is solid along with John Colicos and J.D. Cannon as the CIA head honchos, while Joanne Linville is touchingly effective as Burt's wife.Lancaster was 60 years old when he made this movie and was still capable of performing his own stunts. A contemporary reviewer stated it made him feel young again to see Burt effectively leaving his pursuers in the dust. SCORPIO was released at the same time Watergate was making headlines, thus its cynical take on espionage is especially appropriate. The movie did OK at the box office but wasn't a big success. Over the years SCORPIO has grown in stature becoming one of those movies that can be seen more than once while keeping your interest thanks to a great script and noteworthy performances.

Good quality acting, direction, and location shooting. Many spy films elude to double agents being involved in or responsible for the plot of the action that takes place in the films, but not many films have their lead characters playing the actual double agents. This one does. Likewise, the agency heads of spy networks in most films end up living and continuing to operate, or are arrested. In Scorpio, the CIA operations figurehead, played by John Colicos, is assassinated by Cross (Burt Lancaster), who is the double-agent character that the CIA is after. I like how Winner has the audience believing all the way through the film that Cross is the good guy, only to find out at the very end of the movie that he is, in fact, a double agent. And the cherry on top of the sundae is that Lancaster has been using a Czech courier who just happens to be the girlfriend of Scorpio, the hitman (Alain Delon) trained by Cross now employed by the CIA to hunt down Cross and kill him. It's an amazing screenplay David W. Rintels and Gerald Wilson with excellent direction by Michael Winner. The movie has good star power and a great supporting cast. I love the J.D. Cannon voice-overs too. Jerry Fielding's score is good and is reminiscent of another film by Michael Winner and scored by Fielding, "The Mechanic," probably one of my most favorite movies of all time. This movie is definitely one to have in your collection.

Up there with The Spy Who Came in From the Cold — but with phenomenal action scenes reminiscent of the French Connection. Michael Winners best work along with the Mechanic. The movie has an intricately constructed script of cynical late Cold War era spy games — at the center of which we find Lancaster’s character running. The film places the agent-on-the-run in an impossible-to-survive kind of man hunt. The brilliance of the movie is creating masterfully filmed sequences that plausibly present how this master spy is able to overcome his hunters. We go from a greyhound bus station to Vienna, Paris, and finally Langley Virginia. Simultaneously, the film does a great job by introducing characters and scenes that say something about innocence lost on both sides of the spy game. On the eastern side, communist ideals were destroyed by mock trials, camps that subjugated dissidents. On the western side, GIs who freed survivors from concentration camps had become CIA executives ordering cynical assassinations. The final leg of the movie is pretty mind-bending. Lancaster returning home to avenge killing of a loved one, and many other unexpected revelations, outcomes follow. The masterful execution of such a multitude of ideas and actions make me think had Winner gone on to make a respectable name for himself in Hollywood, People would be talking about Scorpio like they talk about Spy Who Came in from the Cold. For my money, this is the second best spy movie ever made.

Pay no attention to reviews that complain the plot is difficult and convoluted. It is not. In fact, it's very straightforward, even familiar to those who love this genre. Top spies become dangerous to their agencies because they know so much and develop friends and networks that seem questionable. But a top spy realizes he's also a target of both friend and foe. Cross, a CIA agent, is such a spy & becomes such a target. These spies can't just retire--they must run and realize that they'll be chased. Lancaster is incredible & the action sequences rival anything you'll see in a Jason Bourne or Mission Impossible film sans the high tech. What connects them is the spy's keenly developed intuition that makes them anticipate danger & make evasive moves. These spies think things out and plan accordingly--maybe that's too much of a strain on today's viewers.

An excellent example of a well produced early seventies contemporary gritty action thriller set in the cold war .Very well made and acted youare kept interested and intrigued as to how it all turns out.Action sequences are convincing.Overall this is a well made film for it's time and in my opinion far better than many others of it's ilk produced these days which rely far too much on CGI for their effects.Well worth seeing.

Dvd greatly benefits from a informative audio commentary with overlap to lawman also by winner and v informative about Jerry fielding and winner generally and the state of cinema at the time of production 73, longer than the stone killer also made in 73 and Wilson the screenwriter dramatic action by 70s standards and worth the money £10. Burt lander also in lawman is also v well cast with other notable actors.

Saw this film on TV years ago and very pleased to find it again a must for fans of Lancaster, Delon, and Schofield. Great action sequences and a literate script 'its the happy pill the kiss the mortgage goodbye pill!'

Quick sending and product in good conditions

A decent spy thriller that I enjoyed first time around and was glad to see again. First class performance from Burt Lancaster and good support by Delon and Scofield. Good price and speedy delivery. Lancaster was a very good and prolific actor whose amazing range and output wasn't always fully appreciated.