Scorpio
1973
Burt Lancaster stars as Cross, a US intelligence veteran whose CIA chief McLeod (John Colicos) has marked him for termination. On the run from the assassin, the old spy takes refuge with his Soviet counterpart--a retired KGB operative, Zharkov (Paul Scofield). That action only makes matters worse, however, by confirming the .. Read more
| Starring | Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon, Paul Scofield, Gayle Hunnicutt |
|---|---|
| Director | Michael Winner |
| Genres | Thriller |
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Critics' reviews (2)
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All the ingredients are here for a presentable thriller —treachery, murder, intrigue and a handful of foreign locations— but a garbled script and Michael Winner's rather slipshod direction undoes much of the good work put in by his admirable cast. As the CIA agent suspected of having double standards, Burt Lancaster manages to combine the fear of the fugitive with the toughness and resource we have come to expect of him. Alain Delon's performance suffers from comparisons with his classic portrayal of a hitman in Le Samourai, but he still does a solid job of blending duty and doubt.
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Conventional and convoluted tale of betrayal and death among spies, with Lancaster's CIA agent coming under suspicion,... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful members' reviews (3)
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2 out of 3 people found this review helpful
This is one of the better 1970's spy flims. Who is betraying who is enough on it's own to keep you watching. But the performances are also cool and fascinating. The plot which moves between spying and revenge keeps things moving along. It is one of those cool puzzle films of the 70's where no one is ever what they seem. Lancaster and Delon are excellent and the rest of the cast provide solid support.
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Great Film
This was one of the better 1970s spy films. Lancaster and Delon portrayed their parts very well. A good alround movie, worth renting.
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silly but enjoyable
Micheal Winner asembles a couple of top notch actors, and while not the most original i enjoyed it cause it just gets on with it in that classic 70's thrash thriller style, the yanks are still churning out rubbish liek this nowadays they just don't do it with the same type of style
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Most recent members' reviews (2)
View all -
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful
This is one of the better 1970's spy flims. Who is betraying who is enough on it's own to keep you watching. But the performances are also cool and fascinating. The plot which moves between spying and revenge keeps things moving along. It is one of those cool puzzle films of the 70's where no one is ever what they seem. Lancaster and Delon are excellent and the rest of the cast provide solid support.
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It Was OK
Burt Lancaster was ok. The whole thing was a little 'Hammy' sort of James Bond in the CIA. You would find faults in some of the plot and the thinking of the charactors.
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2 out of 3 people found this review helpful
This is one of the better 1970's spy flims. Who is betraying who is enough on it's own to keep you watching. But the performances are also cool and fascinating. The plot which moves between spying and revenge keeps things moving along. It is one of those cool puzzle films of the 70's where no one is ever what they seem. Lancaster and Delon are excellent and the rest of the cast provide solid support.
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Great Film
This was one of the better 1970s spy films. Lancaster and Delon portrayed their parts very well. A good alround movie, worth renting.
-
silly but enjoyable
Micheal Winner asembles a couple of top notch actors, and while not the most original i enjoyed it cause it just gets on with it in that classic 70's thrash thriller style, the yanks are still churning out rubbish liek this nowadays they just don't do it with the same type of style
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Help
Delon and Lancaster seems like a top mix but what a stinker. I would like to tell you about it but I ended up picking my nose; the prodcut of which was more enthralling than this banal piece of rubbish.
My advice: pick your nose instead! -
[Highly rated reviewer]
By Michael Winner's standards, this is pretty good
A cool spy thriller from the early seventies, with an intriguing, holding screenplay and a very good performance from Burt Lancaster in the lead, as an ageing CIA man suspected by his bosses at Langley of selling secrets to the other side. So the firm's top hit man, Scorpio (Alain Delon), is despatched to assassinate him. There follows a kind of international chase, from Paris to Washington to Vienna and back to Washington again as the truth unravels.
Even though Michael Winner made some genuinely good films in the sixties (check out 'The jokers' or 'I'll never forget whatsisname', one still expects incompetence, gratuitous violence and lashings of soft-core sex from him, but 'Scorpio' finds him restraining himself and simply turning in a solid thriller. It's not the tightest thing you will ever see, and there are loose ends galore which no-one seems to care about, but otherwise, this is surprisingly palatable. -
It Was OK
Burt Lancaster was ok. The whole thing was a little 'Hammy' sort of James Bond in the CIA. You would find faults in some of the plot and the thinking of the charactors.
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very good
Great cast, great plot, and somehow it doesn't come off so well even though there's nothing to condemn it with. But that's Michael Winner for you not letting you forget that making movies after all is a day job. It is almost excellent though.
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Critics' reviews (2)
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All the ingredients are here for a presentable thriller —treachery, murder, intrigue and a handful of foreign locations— but a garbled script and Michael Winner's rather slipshod direction undoes much of the good work put in by his admirable cast. As the CIA agent suspected of having double standards, Burt Lancaster manages to combine the fear of the fugitive with the toughness and resource we have come to expect of him. Alain Delon's performance suffers from comparisons with his classic portrayal of a hitman in Le Samourai, but he still does a solid job of blending duty and doubt.
-
Conventional and convoluted tale of betrayal and death among spies, with Lancaster's CIA agent coming under suspicion,... read more on Time Out
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