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Product details
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Product Description
David Hemming stars as Charlie Muffin in this 1979 TV adaption of Brian Freemantle's novel. Scripted by Keith Waterhouse and directed by Jack Gold.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
"Charlie Muffin" (1979), aka "A Deadly Game" in the USA, is a British espionage movie/TV production I would classify as a very good second-rater. It does not have the grandeur of the bigger spy movies (by which I do not just mean James Bond, for such glamourized accounts probably have very little to do with spy reality). Instead, it is small-scale, cosy and very British. It is devoid of all glamour (which even goes for the love scenes between Muffin and the departmental secretary), which makes it all the more realistic. True, some of the characters are very stereotypical (Muffin's stiff-upper-lip superiors are a bit over-the-top, and so is the snubbed working-class Muffin himself, even though we like him all the more for it), but the agreeably convoluted plot makes up for all the possible flaws there may be. The director (Jack Gold) manages to paint a very accurate picture of all the grim and sordid aspects of spying: the dangers, the filthy schemes, the loyalties and disloyalties, the power games, but also the excitement and the traveling, which is particularly appealing for the interested viewer. We do not just get views of London, but also of Berlin, Leipzig, Moscow, Vienna, and many more locations, not to mention Brighton (or is this a spoiler?). There are not too many action scenes, but the ones we get make a big enough impact (like the one at Checkpoint Charlie with the Volkswagen in the beginning of the movie). Even the musical score is well-chosen, with a great (though perhaps unoriginal) ending in the form of "Rule Britannia". Talking about sarcasm.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Such a great film, story, dialogues, so witty! and Hemmings was superb in that working class MI5, his superiors and CIA chiefs were great! Wonderful.
I've seen the film on ARTE (franco-german channel) years ago, in English.
I recorded it at the time, unfortunately I've lost the tape.
I enjoyed it so much, I'd like to buy it.
Please can anyone tell me where I can find it?
I've seen the film on ARTE (franco-german channel) years ago, in English.
I recorded it at the time, unfortunately I've lost the tape.
I enjoyed it so much, I'd like to buy it.
Please can anyone tell me where I can find it?
One of my all time favourite films falling neatly in to the cold war spy thriller category. Its great strength over others of this genre is quite simple - even though the plot is not trivial, you can still follow it. This may not sound like a great way to recommend a film, but after watching many films, especially spy films, in which you haven't a clue what's going on, it is indeed a great strength. I understood the whole thing part way into my third screening, and did not suffer a moments tedium seeing it again with only a few days in between. The plot is compelling, feasible, and continues at pace. It involves the usual storyline facet in that the effective and competent operator is unloved by his superiors (in exactly the same way as the Michael Cain character in The Fourth Protocol), but doesn't suffer for this familiarity of theme. The hero, played by David Hemmings, is a grammar school boy type, greatly sneered at by his public school colleagues and bosses. His capabilities and effectiveness clearly irritate them, and they seek to discredit him, or worse. In fact the film opens with a scene in which the "or worse" becomes clear. This sets him on a path of revenge, which is skilfully played out, sometimes funny, and quite gripping. I'll say no more about the plot, other than I would recommend no film above this one for pure entertainment, and sheer brilliance.
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