The Double Man

would have been more enjoyable with captions, but great spy movie

[THE DOUBLE MAN - (1967) - Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner - Widescreen Presentation] A thoroughly solid (though by no means spectacular) by-the-books Cold War spy film with Yul Brynner as Dan Slater, a cold, calculating, cruel and carnivorous CIA agent searching for clues to his 16 year-old son's apparent 'accidental' death on the Austrian Tyrolean Alps while skiing. Though he was an expert skier, skiing is a dangerous sport. But as far as Slater is concerned, there are no accidents. Unfeeling and unlikable in the extreme, Brynner gives chills with every glance or word he utters in his relentless pursuit of the truth; more importantly, his kind of truth. He trusts no one, loves no one and strictly obeys no one. Because of this, it's difficult to feel anything for his loss, mostly because he doesn't much care either, it's all about retribution and revenge. But is it all that simple, or is there a 'double standard' looming ever-present in the background?A considerable cast of character actor co-stars, among them Anton Diffring (everyone's default Nazi / Russian / bad guy during the 60's), Clive Revill, Lloyd Nolan and Moira Lister all bring charm but no considerable depth to their characters, and Britt Ekland adds the essential and enjoyable eye candy requirements, not Elke Sommer as the dvd box and Amazon details state (though they were somewhat interchangeable as far as appearances and abilities are concerned during that time). I'm not being critical of the actors, as the script was written that way, the only true figure of significance is Dan Slater, and everyone else is just in his way. It's Yul Brynner's single-handed show, replete with bullish menace, marauding cunning and relentless suspicions as he dissects those around him before he finally confronts his Russian doppelganger. True, the plot is not original by any means, it was utilized on almost every TV spy show in the 60's, but it plays out well in spite of the final act running a bit long. A bit more editing at the finale would have made it efficiently smoother and more satisfying as a whole. In spite of this mild criticism, all fans of spy flicks will undoubtedly enjoy this one. And the soundtrack title tune is immediately catchy and memorable and should be made available. So, "Double your pleasure, double your fun" with this absorbing and entertaining espionage thriller.

This is the first rate thriller staring a first-rate actor. He's even better in this movie than in Westworld or any other movie he's been in. Definitely not to be missed by any fan of classic movies.

Franklin Schaffner made some fine films, but this one, his second, after the War Lord, still has roots too deep in television (of that era) to be good. Schaffner's visual sense is good; he's much more interested in exploiting the skiers holding flares than in developing characters. The story plays like an episode of Mission: Impossible or The Man from Uncle, with nothing at stake, an little or no character development. As a film this was a failure, considering I had never heard of until recently, unlike Schaffner's other works. But judged objectively, I would say that I was not entertained, scared, or edified in any way shape or form. The camera work is the star here, a major step up of the utterly sloppy work in the War Lord. His next film would be ever so much better in every way: The Planet of the Apes.

Great 60's action suspense spy thriller starring the Imortal Yul Brynner. Great tone, very overcast, dark and moody. The music helps balance things out and helps keep things light. The plot is fast paced and overall you get what you would want out of this type of film. My only complaint is that Brynner doesn't react the way a normal human being would if his only son was murdered but that might just be me. Close in tone to the Quiller Memorandum released a year prior. I can also see similarities to A Dandy In Aspic but that film is a miss for me as Lawrence Harvey just doesn't have the charisma to pull off the lead.

Good film - although I am no fan of our Swiss-Russian-Mongol protagonist, you can believe that he's been a distant, unloving father - actually the wooden, one-note acting helps! But the film around him is great, the vintage St. Anton location filming is really fun (although some of the rear projection is pretty bad), and it's otherwise a good cast, with some "hey, it's that guy!" moments. Plus Britt Ekland, never a bad thing. Could almost have been a Bond plot - cross "License To Kill" revenge/making the boss mad and the ski scenes from "The Spy Who Loved Me." Although Bond never had a doppelganger, did he?

This is one kind of the Double Man I think I may had watched during the mid 60's about Yul Brynner. But, there was another one of this title. perhaps it may be a different movie title. That is when actor Yul Brynner played a role when he is dressed in a dark blue dress suit. Could Amazon help find it for me ?

I watched this movie in the movie theater when i was a pre-teen. The movie has not lost panache. I really liked Yul Brenner in this movie. Wish he had played more heros.

i purchased this dvd and mine played on region 2 dvd player. i have other dvds from warner archive and they play on my region 2 player as well. excellent picture and sound quality

Excellent.

This was a gift for someone. But I have previously bought a copy for myself and can't understand why this film is not shown nowadays. If only the Bond films were this good!

This film has some great acting in it. A spy movie with a good screen play makes it a winner. Some of the cinematography gives you the feeling of a presence in the movie that endures to the very end. Cheers...

VERY GOOD MOVIE, GOOD STORY AND YUL BRYNNER IS EXCELLENT AS USUAL, RECOMMENDED