Charlie Muffin

Last updated

Charlie Muffin
Charlie Muffin film DVD cover (1979-2).png
Video cover
Directed by Jack Gold
Produced by Ted Childs
Starring David Hemmings
Sam Wanamaker
Jennie Linden
CinematographyOusama Rawi
Edited by Keith Palmer
Release date
  •  ()
Running time
104 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Charlie Muffin (U.S. title: A Deadly Game) is a 1979 British made-for-TV film directed by Jack Gold and starring David Hemmings, Ralph Richardson, Sam Wanamaker, Pinkas Braun, Ian Richardson, Shane Rimmer and Jennie Linden. [1] A Euston Films production, it was written by Keith Waterhouse based on the 1977 novel of the same name by Brian Freemantle.

Contents

Plot

This Cold War espionage thriller follows the story of British anti-hero spy Charlie Muffin, who has fallen on hard times since the forced retirement of Sir Archibald Willoughby, his previous boss at the U.K. secret service. His new boss, Sir Henry Cuthbertson, a former military man who epitomises the haughty upper-class British imperialist, barely attempts to conceal his disdain for the under-educated agent who, although more and highly experienced, quite obviously does not stem from the "right class". At the start of the film, it is established that Charlie has been deemed expendable and accordingly is set up to be captured or killed during a mission to East Germany — despite having been responsible for the mission's success. However, Charlie religiously follows his former chief's first rule: "Always secure an escape route", and another man is killed in his place. Cuthbertson's lap-dog agents Snare and Harrison — both totally lacking in experience and as arrogant as their boss — are shocked and embarrassed to see Muffin returning alive and well.

Back in the UK, Muffin's humiliation does not end, as Cuthbertson attempts to demote him over Charlie's supposed failure in interrogating a captured Russian agent. Because of Cutherbertson's not following established British Intelligence guidelines and Charlie's proving that his interrogation was actually a success, Charlie escapes demotion and goes on leave, which he spends with his wife Edith, while at the same time maintaining an affair with Cuthbertson's secretary-receptionist.

Next, the story unfolds around British and American attempts to facilitate a safe defection of high-ranking Soviet General Valery Kalenin, KGB Director of Operations for more than twenty years. CIA Director Garson Ruttgers proves equally ambitious but not much smarter and ultimately equally as officious and presumptuous as his British counterpart. After Harrison and Snare's spectacular downfalls (one is killed in Leipzig trying to escape capture by KGB agents and the other is actually captured in Moscow) as the result of CIA interference and because the Americans are using diplomatic pressure on the British to make Kalenin's defection a joint Anglo-American operation, Cuthbertson has no choice but to call in Charlie to handle the affair. Charlie meets with Kalenin in Moscow without the CIA finding out, and Ruttgers' aide Braley, a good-hearted but docile sideshow official, is assigned to accompany Muffin first to casinos in various cities in order to "launder" the $500,000 Kalenin is demanding as the price of his defection and later to Prague to liaise with Kalenin on the final details. Meanwhile, Cuthbertson, who is still wary of Charlie (who keeps insisting that Kalenin's defection is false and a trap), arranges with his secretary-receptionist that she spy on Charlie during their liaisons together.

After the arrangements have been made, Charlie, Braley, Cuthbertson and Ruttgers meet in a safehouse in Vienna. Charlie and Braley meet Kalenin at an obscure border-crossing post and escort him to the safehouse. Charlie leaves to hide the car, while Cuthbertson and Ruttgers jubilantly welcome Kalenin. However, their joy is short-lived when Kalenin reveals that his "defection" was merely the bait in an elaborate trap to capture the heads of both MI5 and the CIA in order to exchange them for an important Russian agent currently imprisoned in England, and that his men are now in complete control of the safehouse. Cuthbertson and Ruttgers realize too late that Kalenin's plan couldn't have succeeded without inside help...from Charlie, who has escaped with the money intended for Kalenin.

The Russian agent is released and flies home to Moscow, while Cuthbertson and Ruttgers are presumably disgraced and dismissed from their positions, and Charlie and Edith, now in hiding in Brighton, celebrate their freedom with the money.

Cast

Reception

The New York Times wrote: "Directed crisply and cleverly by Jack Gold ... Charlie Muffin is a diverting spy adventure, complete with a genuine surprise ending. The characters sometimes dissolve into caricatures, creating the childish impression that the British and American agents are idiots while the Russians are generally masterful." [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Philby</span> British intelligence officer and Soviet double agent (1912–1988)

Harold Adrian Russell "Kim" Philby was a British intelligence officer and a spy for the Soviet Union. In 1963, he was revealed to be a member of the Cambridge Five, a spy ring that had divulged British secrets to the Soviets during World War II and in the early stages of the Cold War. Of the five, Philby is believed to have been the most successful in providing secret information to the Soviets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cambridge Five</span> British ring of spies for the Soviet Union

The Cambridge Five was a ring of spies in the United Kingdom that passed information to the Soviet Union during the Second World War and the Cold War and was active from the 1930s until at least the early 1950s. None of the known members were ever prosecuted for spying. The number and membership of the ring emerged slowly, from the 1950s onwards.

<i>Red Rabbit</i> 2002 novel by Tom Clancy

Red Rabbit is a spy thriller novel, written by Tom Clancy and released on August 5, 2002. The plot occurs a few months after the events of Patriot Games (1987), and incorporates the 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II. Main character Jack Ryan, now an analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency, takes part in the extraction of a Soviet defector who knows of a KGB plot to kill the pontiff. The book debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list.

<i>Hopscotch</i> (film) 1980 American comedy spy film

Hopscotch is a 1980 American comedy spy film, produced by Edie Landau and Ely A. Landau, directed by Ronald Neame, that stars Walter Matthau, Glenda Jackson, Sam Waterston, Ned Beatty, and Herbert Lom. The screenplay was written by Bryan Forbes and Brian Garfield, based on Garfield's 1975 novel of the same name.

<i>Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy</i> Spy novel by John le Carré

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a 1974 spy novel by the author and former spy John le Carré. It follows the endeavours of the taciturn, ageing spymaster George Smiley to uncover a Soviet mole in the British Secret Intelligence Service. The novel has received critical acclaim for its complex social commentary—and, at the time, relevance, following the defection of Kim Philby. It was followed by The Honourable Schoolboy in 1977 and Smiley's People in 1979. The three novels together make up the "Karla Trilogy", named after Smiley's long-time nemesis Karla, the head of Soviet foreign intelligence and the trilogy's overarching antagonist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shane Rimmer</span> Canadian actor (1929–2019)

Shane Lance Deacon, known professionally as Shane Rimmer, was a Canadian actor and screenwriter who spent the majority of his career in the United Kingdom. The self-proclaimed "Rent-A-Yank" of the British entertainment industry, he appeared in over 160 films and television programmes from 1957 until his death in 2019, usually playing supporting North American characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Richardson</span> Scottish actor (1934–2007)

Ian William Richardson was a British actor from Edinburgh, Scotland. He was best known for his portrayal of machiavellian Tory politician Francis Urquhart in the BBC's House of Cards (1990–1995) television trilogy, as well as the pivotal spy Bill Haydon in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979). Other notable screen work included a portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in two films, as well as significant roles in Brazil, M. Butterfly, and Dark City.

<i>Charlie Muffin</i> (novel) 1977 spy thriller novel by Brian Freemantle

Charlie Muffin is a 1977 spy thriller novel written by Brian Freemantle.

<i>Scorpio</i> (film) 1973 film by Michael Winner

Scorpio is a 1973 American spy film directed by Michael Winner and written by David W. Rintels and Gerald Wilson. It stars Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon, and Paul Scofield. Delon plays the title character, a hitman hired by the CIA to assassinate his mentor (Lancaster), a former agent suspected of treason. The film's score was composed by Jerry Fielding.

<i>Funeral in Berlin</i> (film) 1966 film by Guy Hamilton

Funeral in Berlin is a 1966 British spy film directed by Guy Hamilton and based on the 1964 novel of the same name by Len Deighton. It is the second of three 1960s films starring Michael Caine as the character Harry Palmer that followed the characters from the initial film, The Ipcress File (1965). The third film was Billion Dollar Brain (1967).

<i>The Spy Who Came In from the Cold</i> (film) 1965 British film by Martin Ritt

The Spy Who Came In from the Cold is a 1965 British spy film based on the 1963 novel of the same name by John le Carré. The film stars Richard Burton, Claire Bloom, and Oskar Werner. It was directed by Martin Ritt, and the screenplay was written by Paul Dehn and Guy Trosper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Kiriakou</span> American counter-terrorism consultant

John Chris Kiriakou is an American author, journalist and former intelligence officer. Kiriakou is a columnist with Reader Supported News and co-host of Political Misfits on Sputnik Radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1976 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours</span> British government recognitions

The 1976 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours were announced on 27 May 1976 to mark the resignation of the Prime Minister, Harold Wilson. The list of resignation honours became known satirically as the "Lavender List".

Brian Harry Freemantle is an English thriller and non-fiction writer, known for his 1977 spy novel Charlie Muffin.

Pinkas Braun was a Swiss film actor. He appeared in 70 films between 1952 and 2002. He was born in Zürich, Switzerland and died in Munich, Germany.

<i>The Sell Out</i> (film) 1976 American-British-Italian-Israeli film by Peter Collinson

The Sell Out is a 1976 American-British-Italian-Israeli film directed by Peter Collinson and starring Oliver Reed, Richard Widmark and Gayle Hunnicutt. It was filmed in Israel.

<i>Danger Route</i> 1967 British film by Seth Holt

Danger Route is a 1967 British spy film directed by Seth Holt for Amicus Productions and starring Richard Johnson as Jonas Wilde, Carol Lynley and Barbara Bouchet. It was based on Andrew York's 1966 novel The Eliminator that was the working title of the film.

<i>Spy in Chancery</i> 1972 novel by Kenneth Benton

Spy in Chancery is a spy novel by Kenneth Benton set in Rome during the Cold War in the 1970s. The book begins with a foreword by novelist Michael Gilbert, and is the third novel to feature Overseas Police Adviser Peter Craig. Craig travels to Rome for a conference, and is caught up in investigating a spy at the British Embassy.

<i>The Executioner</i> (1970 film) 1970 British film directed by Sam Wanamaker

The Executioner is a 1970 British Cold War neo noir spy thriller film directed by Sam Wanamaker in Panavision and starring George Peppard as secret agent John Shay who suspects his colleague Adam Booth, played by Keith Michell, is a double agent. In the film, Peppard's character tries to prove the double role of his colleague to his spy-masters and when he fails to do so he kills him. It was produced by Charles H. Schneer for Columbia Pictures and filmed in Panavision and Eastmancolor.

<i>Treason</i> (TV series) British spy thriller miniseries

Treason is a British spy thriller television miniseries created by Matt Charman for the streaming service Netflix. It stars Olga Kurylenko, Oona Chaplin, Ciarán Hinds, and Charlie Cox.

References

  1. "Charlie Muffin". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  2. O'Connor, John J. (12 October 1983). "A Glimpse of Richardson in British Thriller". The New York Times . Retrieved 25 August 2024.