Scorpio (1973)

The movie hasn't aged well, but it still lives with great performances by it's lead actors. The editing and pace feel a bit odd (or off) and it's not only, because it's a slow moving movie, but because some choices seem "wrong".If you can overlook those "flaws", you can surely enjoy the movie. The story is pretty complicated though and you might feel a bit confused at the ending. But this confusion can be a good thing, too. And the more I think about the ending, the more I like it. While it could have a better set-up, it still delivers and gives the movie one final punch, that will leave you surely with some sort of taste in your mouth (as the saying goes). If you like spy movies, this is essential, otherwise be aware of it's flaws and downfalls.

***SPOILERS*** A lot like Michael Winner's previous thriller "The Mechanic" the film "Scoripo" has to do with an aging CIA assassin who's now regarded by his superiors as being both obsolete and expendable. There's also the suspicion that he's planing to flee to Moscow and reveal all the secrets of the agency, CIA, that can be very embarrassing to both his bosses in the US Government and his contacts and undercover agents in the USSR.Cross, Burt Lancaster, has been in the dirty business of political assassinations since WWII. Now in his 50's Cross wants to retire and live out the rest of his life with his wife Sarah, Joanne Linville, in peace and quite without looking over his shoulder every time he's out on the streets.With Cross' new boss McLoad, John Colicos, suspecting him of treason he sends out cat loving French hit-man Jean Laurier-Alain Delon-or code name Scorpio to do Cross in before, in McLoad opinion, he defects behind the Iron Curtain. It turns out that Laurier was Cross', who thought him every thing he knows about contract killings, protégé in the assassination business as well as being a good friend of his. Laurier is also curtain that Cross is clean and this antagonism towards him by McLoad is personal not professional in that Cross, a man who likes to do things his way, doesn't toady up to him like the rest of the agents he's in charge of.Suspense filled thriller with Cross on the run as his options for staying alive dwindle down to next to zero. Laurier is very hesitant to knock off Cross in that he feels that, besides being a good friend of his, he's innocent of the charges that McLoad accuses him off. With him trapped in Vienna Cross goes to the only person who can possibly save his life long time friend and adversary Soviet Agent Zarkov, Paul Scofield. McLoad uses the Cross/Zarkov relationship to try to convince Laurier that his friend Cross is actually a double agent worthy to be gunned down from his treachery to both the USA and Laurier's own country NATO member France. The movie's both thrilling and surprise ending has Laurie find out the truth behind Cross' actions and they have nothing at all to do with his attempted defection to the Soviet Union! But they do in fact have something to do with those that Laurie has been closely associating with! Someone who's a lot closer to Laurie then even he,in his wildest conspiracy paranoia, could possibly imagine!Like in Winner's 1972 assassin thriller "The Mechanic" the film "Serpico" shows just how thankless the job of a paid assassin really is. In the end Laurier finally realizes that being in the business he's in he has no time for friend and family as well as romantic relationships. In that the only one you can really trust is yourself and, in Lauries case, the street cats that you adopt; and worst of all the agency's retirement plan sucks!

Back in the 1970s when Capitalism and Communism were fighting the cold war with undercover activities, a film such as this was able to play on our fears of the "good" guys as well as the "bad" guys. So, along with Burt Lancaster's aging C.I.A. agent, Cross, we can't know whom to trust. We like Burt, but we also like Alain Delon (Scorpio) the free agent assigned to assassinate him. We loathe John Colicos as the C.I.A. chief, yet he's supposedly working for our side. We like Paul Scofield's Zharkov, yet he's a commie. (Indeed, Scofield who is a master of cold characters has never been so charming.) The film offers great action scenes as well as unmitigated suspense. There is a superlative cast, and a lot of surprises. (Burt ain't named Cross for nothin'.) If you are a fan of thrillers, or even you aren't, this one's a must see!

The thing about spys and espionage is that there is a differencebetween good guys and bad guys. Burt Lancaster portrays aging C.I.A agent Cross who wants to leave the C.I.A to spend more time with his wife (Joanne Linville). However he has been training another mentor Jean code name "Scorpio"(Alain Delon) who is just been learning the tricks of the trade as a C.I.A assasin. C.I.A boss (John Colicos) feels that Cross knows too much and that he should be killed. He soons asks Scorpio to do the job, but he refuses. Scorpio is later arrested on phony narcotics rap and is blackmailed to do the job of eliminating Cross, so he accepts it. Cross however catches on that he is being by the watched C.I.A and the game of cat and mouse between him and Scorpio begins. He later takes refuge in with on old colleague (Paul Scofield) in Venice. Yet the question remains. Who is doublecrossing who? Who will survive the game? Who is good and who is bad? This a great film. Burt Lancaster was 59 years old and he had the ability to perform his running scenes as he is being pursued by Delon and another C.I.A hitman. He is proven to be a good actor who attributed the physical-athletic attributes in the film. Alain Delon gives a marvelous performance the man forced to hunt down and kill Lancaster. I give this film 10 out of 10**********.