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Storyline
In 1974, flanked by such filmic monuments to paranoia and corruption as Chinatown and The Parallax View, Elliott Gould and Donald Sutherland tried to re-create the screwball nonchalance of their earlier M*A*S*H performances in this lightweight spy spoof, directed by Irvin Kershner. Gould and Sutherland play two CIA agents-Griff and Bruland-who are marked for death by their own agency after botching the defection of a Russian ballet dancer (Michael Petrovich). As they repeatedly mess up their assignments and wriggle out of tight corners, they not only find themselves pursued by the CIA, but also by the KGB, the Chinese Communists, and a terrorist group that wants to destroy the CIA. Written by
Anonymous
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Taglines:
Would you buy a used secret from these men?
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Details
Release Date:
5 September 1974 (Netherlands)
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Company Credits
Technical Specs
Sound Mix:
Mono
(Westrex Recording System)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?
Goofs
The person playing the piano is not playing the correct notes when the Russian's are doing their gymnastics near the beginning of the movie. Maybe it was recorded with one music, but the new music that was dubbed on the soundtrack is not the same that the person is playing.
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Quotes
Bruland:
The Chinese are quiet, right? The Russians are quick, and we're sloppy.
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Connections
Referenced in
Playboy: The Story of X (1998)
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Soundtracks
Old MacDonald Had a Farm
(uncredited)
Performed by
Donald Sutherland See more »
The idea of teaming Donald Sutherland and Elliot Gould together in a movie must have seemed like a good idea after their success with MASH. Giving them a half decent script would have probably helped a lot though. Instead we have a half-baked spy spoof with our two heroes stumbling along from one situation to another. About the only decent thing going for this mess of a movie is the fact that it was shot mostly in France. Vladek Sheybal as the head Russian spy is also quite good(he just oozes Eastern European charm). Otherwise, some pretty stupid characters, a few decent explosions and a lot of running around. I hope Sutherland and Gould were well paid for this. Note to producers: If you're going to spoof a genre that is no longer in vogue, at least make it funny.