The Name’s Craig, John Craig
I can’t remember what led me to watch this movie but it may have been a conversation between Leonard Cohen and Paul Nelson in the book I Like People That Can’t Sing. Anyway, something made me do it, and despite not quite finding a consistent tone, it’s not a bad spy movie.
Directed by Peter Collinson, (most known for The Italian Job) the plot is the usual spy fare. Stanley Baker plays ageing British secret agent John Craig, programmed to do that and only that (no hanky panky, they zapped this out of him years ago), tasked with finding a Russian defector and returning him (take your pick, several countries want him). Double crossing and bargaining is guaranteed.
Along the way he kidnaps Miss Loman, Miriam Loman (Geraldine Chaplin, Charlie’s daughter), who makes up one of the more interesting characters in the film. She accompanies him on his hunt and naturally tries to seduce him, but there is a lot more emotional connection here than what you’d get with Bond. He’s also chased by a couple of agents who ham things up, and it gets even hammier with a Turkish hotel keeper talking in a ridiculous Aussie accent (he helped the diggers in the war, and picked up all the lingo), who starts out on the wrong side but ends up a faithful sidekick.
Aside from Baker’s mullet, Chaplin is a standout, playing the delicate but not-completely-useless female lead, offering help peeling away layers of our battle hardened but broken secret agent. I’m also a fan of Donald Pleasence as Loomis, the posh but ruthless British spy boss. He plays it with a nice nose-up arrogance.
It isn’t the worst spy movie, especially looked at as part of the shift in movies becoming more ‘modern’ in the late sixties and early seventies (it comes closer to the sixties). The pace is good with a bond-ish soundtrack rolling things along, and plenty of action from judo chops to gunfights, plus some exploding cars for good measure. Worth a look if you are into the genre and wanting something a little more obscure.