1 / 8
ERA
Did you know
59 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
Danger Route
"He Is A Weapon! Government Issue! He killed 39 men, each with a single blow! 6 were mistakes!"
1967 1h 32m EN
😐
5.6
MID
★5.6TMDB · 21
ActionThriller
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
Jonas Wilde, a British secret agent licensed to kill, wants to resign from his murderous work, but his superiors pressure him into taking on a new assignment-the assassination of a defecting Soviet scientist. In the course of the dangerous mission, he discovers a mole has infiltrated British intelligence.
“He Is A Weapon! Government Issue! He killed 39 men, each with a single blow! 6 were mistakes!”
Cast
Richard Johnson
Jonas Wilde
Carol Lynley
Jocelyn
Barbara Bouchet
Marita
Sylvia Syms
Barbara Canning
Gordon Jackson
Brian Stern
Diana Dors
Rhoda Gooderich
Maurice Denham
Peter Ravenspur
Sam Wanamaker
Lucinda
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Seth Holt
- Writers
- Meade Roberts, Robert Banks Stewart
- Languages
- English
- Countries
- United Kingdom
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
2 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Seth Holt, shot by Harry Waxman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by John Mayer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Oswald Hafenrichter shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 8
CAST
Did you know
Richard Johnson and Carol Lynley and Barbara Bouchet carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 8
FACT
Did you know
Marketing tagline: "He Is A Weapon! Government Issue! He killed 39 men, each with a single blow! 6 were mistakes!".
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 8
WILD
Did you know
IMDB entry: tt0062860 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
8 / 8
WILD
Did you know
Only 21 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
MoodPlayr · trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Seth Holt directs. Harry Waxman behind the camera. John Mayer scores. Oswald Hafenrichter cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 159 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
- 2Directed by Seth Holt, shot by Harry Waxman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 3Original score by John Mayer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 4Editor Oswald Hafenrichter shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 5Richard Johnson and Carol Lynley and Barbara Bouchet carry the top of the cast.
- 6Marketing tagline: "He Is A Weapon! Government Issue! He killed 39 men, each with a single blow! 6 were mistakes!".
- 7IMDB entry: tt0062860 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 8Only 21 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Harry Waxman
- Original score
- John Mayer
- Editing
- Oswald Hafenrichter
- Production design
- William Constable
- Costume design
- Yvonne Caffin
- Makeup / hair
- Ann Fordyce
- Runtime
- 92 min · 1h 32m
- Status
- Released
- Original language
- EN
Also by
Seth Holt
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Community reviews
What people are saying
- CinemaSerf★ 6/10
At times this is in danger of tripping over it's own cloak and stabbing itself, but Richard Johnson ("Wilde") still just about manages to keep it interesting for ninety minutes. He is a British secret agent who is charged with bumping off a Czech scientist who has defected to join the CIA in the UK. Needless to say, this is not going to be a straightforward quest - and it only becomes more complicated when he discovers that there is an whole network of people in whom he is uncertain he can trust. Those duplicitous individuals include his own boss "Canning" (Harry Andrews) and a host of recognisable British faces - Gordon Jackson, Maurice Denham and Diana Dors as well as his CIA oppo "Lucinda" (Sam Wanamaker). In the best tradition of John Buchan's "39 Steps", the search leads him to a remote Channel Island location where peril lurks and bodies start piling up. It's a bit on the long side this, it would have made for a better and more enthralling hour or so, and director Seth Holt could have cut out much of the rather yawning character establishment and a fair chunk of the rather wordy dialogue. Still, once we get into the home straight, it offers a fair degree of intrigue and is an adequate cold war thriller that passes the time, but is unlikely a film you will ever want to watch again.
Production companies
Who made it
- AM
Amicus Productions
GB
United Artists
US
Key crew
- Associate ProducerTed Wallis
- Production ManagerTony Wallis
- Location ManagerDerek Parr
- Assistant DirectorStephen Christian
- Camera OperatorGerry Anstiss
- Sound MixerSid Squires
- Sound RecordistNolan Roberts
- Set DresserAndrew Low
- HairdresserAnn Fordyce
- Wardrobe MasterEvelyn Gibbs
- Camera OperatorCecil Cooney
- Construction ManagerBill Waldron
- Music DirectorPhilip Martell
- NovelAndrew York
- Sound EditorClive Smith
- ProducerMilton Subotsky
- ProducerMax Rosenberg
- EditorOswald Hafenrichter
- Production DesignWilliam Constable
- Art DirectionDon Mingaye
- Costume DesignYvonne Caffin
- ContinuityKay Mander
- Makeup ArtistGeorge Partleton
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- espionage
- british spy
- eurospy
Release history · US
When it landed
- Theatrical1967-10-01
Also known as
International titles
- Le coup du lapinFR
- Ratten im Secret ServiceDE
