A Dandy in Aspic

Scripted by Derek Marlowe from his own novel, Anthony Mann's last film (he died during shooting and was replaced as director by Laurence Harvey) is the story of a Russian double agent, Krasnevin (Harvey), given a difficult mission by the British secret service: to hunt down and eliminate himself. Driven by a byzantine plot that would turn out to be characteristic of the writer (compare Stuart Cooper's The Disappearance, adapted from Marlowe's Echoes of Celandine), the film is strong on Cold War atmospherics and notable for its superior cast.