The Internecine Project

Last updated

The Internecine Project
Internecine project.jpg
Film Poster
Directed by Ken Hughes
Written by Barry Levinson
Jonathan Lynn
Based onnovel Internecine by Mort W. Elkind
Produced byBarry Levinson
co producer
Andrew Donally
Starring James Coburn
Lee Grant
Harry Andrews
Ian Hendry
Michael Jayston
Cinematography Geoffrey Unsworth
Edited by John Shirley
Music by Roy Budd
Production
companies
MacLean and Co
Hemisphere Productions
Lion International
Distributed by British Lion Films
Release date
  • 19 September 1974 (1974-09-19)(London)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Internecine Project is a 1974 British espionage thriller film written by Mort W. Elkind, Barry Levinson, and Jonathan Lynn, directed by Ken Hughes and starring James Coburn and Lee Grant.

Contents

Plot

Renowned American economist Robert Elliot (James Coburn) who is about to be promoted to be a government advisor has also been secretly running a business espionage ring in London with the help of 4 operatives: corrupt Foreign Office official Alex Hellman (Ian Hendry), masseur Bert Parsons (Harry Andrews), prostitute Christina Larsson (Christiane Kruger) and scientist David Baker (Michael Jayston). He is advised to have his operatives killed by E.J. Farnsworth (Keenan Wynn), a businessman who has helped secure Elliot's appointment to prevent them from exposing Elliot's dubious activities. To avoid himself or anyone on the outside being implicated, Elliot devises and carries out a clever plan in which his four former associates will unwittingly kill each other on the same night. He visits each of his associates in turn and convinces each of them that their intended target is about to expose their activities and that they must be killed to ensure their silence.

On the night the murders have been planned for, Elliot keeps track of his operatives' progress by listening for a series of telephone rings that indicate each associate's current location. David leaves for Alex's apartment where he replaces the diabetic Alex's regular insulin supply with a stronger, lethal dose. Despite being delayed in leaving Alex's apartment, he returns home in time to be killed by his own sonic weapon which he had earlier demonstrated to Elliot and which has been planted by Christine on a timer. Christine returns home and Bert enters her apartment with a key given to him by Elliot, and proceeds to strangle Christine to death while she's taking a shower, before placing a fragment of skin Elliot had earlier removed from a corpse under the lifeless Christine's fingernails in order to confuse police pathologists. Alex retrieves a number of items from a locker at London Marylebone station, including a hammer and waits outside the massage parlour Bert works at for his target to arrive. Alex calls Elliot and tells him he can't go through with killing Bert, but Elliot threatens him and Alex reluctantly agrees to continue his mission. He lies in wait for Bert in a back passage and strikes Bert dead with the hammer. A panicked Alex returns home without ringing Elliot to communicate that he's killed Bert and Elliot eventually travels to meet Alex at his home. After confirming to Elliot that he has killed Bert, Alex dies in front of Elliot from the lethal insulin dose planted by David that he has taken.

The next day, before leaving, Elliot receives a package by special delivery. While he is being driven to the airport, he opens the package, which contains a notebook with a message written by David. It states that David never really trusted Elliot and in the event of his death would assume that Elliot was responsible, before revealing that the pages of the notebook are saturated in a deadly poison that is ingested through the skin, which will kill Elliot within 5 minutes. Elliot arrives at the airport dead.

Cast

Production

The film was made by British Lion Films, then run by Michael Deeley. Deeley wrote in his memoirs that it and another movie, Who? were financed the same way: half the costs coming from a US deal with Allied Artists, the other half coming from a German tax shelter deal. "In terms of cinema history, neither film is important," wrote Deeley, but he took pride in how they were financed saying "such clever means were the only way to keep British Lion alive." [1]

In her memoirs, Lee Grant called it "a really flimsy film" where "the script was no more than a sixteen page outline, but the money was good and my co star was James Coburn, an actor I admired and wanted to play with." [2]

During filming Grant admitted the film "is a switch for me." She said she did it because she and her husband were about to adopt two children and also because "I thought the picture would be a really great party - a come-as-you-are party because I don't have to put fake wrinkles on as I normally do. My only regret is that I'm breaking my image playing a sexy lady." [3]

Reception

The Los Angeles Times called it "sardonic and interesting". [4]

Filmink argued the movie needed extra twists. [5]

TV Guide says: "Although it has a nice thriller plot line, THE Internecine Project, like the plan, is less than perfect in execution". [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Coburn</span> American actor (1928–2002)

James Harrison Coburn III was an American film and television actor who was featured in more than 70 films, largely action roles, and made 100 television appearances during a 45-year career.

<i>The Parallax View</i> 1974 US political thriller film by Alan J. Pakula

The Parallax View is a 1974 American political thriller film starring Warren Beatty, with Hume Cronyn, William Daniels and Paula Prentiss in support. Produced and directed by Alan J. Pakula, its screenplay is by David Giler and Lorenzo Semple Jr., based on the 1970 novel by Loren Singer. The story concerns a reporter's investigation into a secretive organization, the Parallax Corporation, whose business is political assassination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Jayston</span> English actor (1935–2024)

Michael A. James, known professionally as Michael Jayston, was an English actor. He played Nicholas II of Russia in the film Nicholas and Alexandra (1971). He also made many television appearances, which included portraying Peter Guillam in 1979 miniseries Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, playing the Valeyard in all fourteen episodes of the Doctor Who serial The Trial of a Time Lord (1986), and appearing in the Only Fools and Horses episode "Time on Our Hands" (1996) as Raquel's father, James.

Michael Deeley is an Academy Award-winning British film producer known for motion pictures such as The Italian Job (1969), The Deer Hunter (1978), and Blade Runner (1982). He is also a founding member and Honorary President of British Screen Forum.

<i>Walk, Dont Run</i> (film) 1966 film by Charles Walters

Walk, Don't Run is a 1966 American romantic comedy film directed by Charles Walters, and starring Cary Grant, Samantha Eggar, and Jim Hutton. The film is set during the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and is a remake of the 1943 film The More the Merrier. The title stems from the basic rule of racewalking: that competitors must not run at any point.

<i>Nemesis</i> (1992 film) 1992 film by Albert Pyun

Nemesis is a 1992 American cyberpunk action film directed by Albert Pyun and starring Olivier Gruner, Tim Thomerson, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Yuji Okumoto, Marjorie Monaghan, Brion James and Deborah Shelton. Set in a near future world populated by androids, the film centers on Alex Rain (Gruner), a cybernetically-enhanced, ex-counterterrorism operative charged by his former employers with assassinating his former lover, the leader of an underground militant group. This is the first installment in the Nemesis film series, and was followed by four direct sequels and a spinoff film. After premiering in Japan, it was released in the United States by Imperial Entertainment in January 1993.

<i>Alias Jesse James</i> 1959 film by Norman Z. McLeod

Alias Jesse James is a 1959 American Western comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Bob Hope and Rhonda Fleming. Based on a story by Robert St. Aubrey and Bert Lawrence, the film is about an outlaw who tries to kill an insurance agent who has been mistaken for him in order to collect on a big policy. Costumes by Edith Head.

<i>Tiger Bay</i> (1959 film) 1959 British film

Tiger Bay is a 1959 British crime drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson. It stars John Mills as a police superintendent investigating a murder; his real-life daughter Hayley Mills, in her first major film role, as a girl who witnesses the murder; and Horst Buchholz as a young sailor who commits the murder in a moment of passion. The title refers to the Tiger Bay district of Cardiff, where much of the film was shot.

<i>Scream, Pretty Peggy</i> American television movie

Scream, Pretty Peggy is a 1973 American made-for-television horror film directed by Gordon Hessler and starring Bette Davis, Ted Bessell, and Sian Barbara Allen. Its plot follows a young college student who is given a job by a sculptor housekeeping at a mysterious mansion where his sister and their elderly mother reside. It was broadcast as the ABC Suspense Movie on November 24, 1973.

<i>Another Man, Another Chance</i> 1977 film

Another Man, Another Chance is a 1977 French western film directed by Claude Lelouch.

<i>Town on Trial</i> 1957 British film by John Guillermin

Town on Trial is a 1957 British mystery film directed by John Guillermin and starring John Mills, Charles Coburn, Barbara Bates and Derek Farr. A whole town comes under suspicion when two grisly murders are carried out—particularly members of the local sports club.

Target: Harry is a 1969 thriller film directed by Roger Corman.

<i>Murder by Proxy</i> 1954 British film by Terence Fisher

Murder by Proxy is a 1954 British 'B' film noir crime drama film directed by Terence Fisher and starring Dane Clark, Belinda Lee and Betty Ann Davies. The film was based on the 1952 novel of the same name by Helen Nielsen. It was produced by Hammer Films, and released in the United States by Lippert Pictures.

<i>The Secret Place</i> (film) 1957 British film by Clive Donner

The Secret Place is a 1957 British crime film that was the directorial debut of Clive Donner. It stars Belinda Lee, Ronald Lewis, and David McCallum.

<i>A Time for Killing</i> 1967 film by Roger Corman, Phil Karlson

A Time for Killing is a 1967 Western film directed originally by Roger Corman but finished by Phil Karlson. Filmed in Panavision and Pathécolor, it stars Glenn Ford, George Hamilton, Inger Stevens, and Harrison Ford in his first credited film role.

<i>Abduction</i> (2011 film) Film directed by John Singleton

Abduction is a 2011 American action thriller film directed by John Singleton, produced by Roy Lee and Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, and written by Shawn Christensen. The film stars Taylor Lautner in the lead role, alongside Lily Collins, Alfred Molina, Jason Isaacs, Maria Bello, and Sigourney Weaver in supporting roles.

<i>Mr. Murder</i> (miniseries) American TV series or program

Mr. Murder is a 1998 American science fiction-crime thriller television miniseries starring Stephen Baldwin based on the 1993 book of the same name by Dean Koontz. It was first broadcast in New Zealand on September 21, 1998. The first part then aired on ABC in the United States on Monday, April 26, 1999, at 9:00 p.m. and the finale aired on Thursday, April 29, at 9:00 p.m.

<i>Domino</i> (2019 film) 2019 film by Brian De Palma

Domino is a 2019 crime thriller film directed by Brian De Palma and starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Carice van Houten, Guy Pearce, and Eriq Ebouaney. It was an international co-production filmed on-location in locations across Europe, including Denmark, Belgium, Spain, and Italy. It tells the story of a Danish police officer (Coster-Waldau) who is seeking justice for the murder of his partner by a vengeful man (Ebouaney), hampered by his target being a CIA informant.

Gangs of London is a British action thriller crime television series created by Gareth Evans and Matt Flannery. Based on the 2006 video game, serving as the fourth installment in The Getaway franchise created by Brendan McNamara and Katie Ellwood, Gangs of London follows the struggles between rival gangs and other criminal organisations in present-day London.

<i>Violent Night</i> 2022 film directed by Tommy Wirkola

Violent Night is a 2022 American Christmas action comedy film directed by Tommy Wirkola and written by Pat Casey and Josh Miller. It follows Santa Claus as he fights mercenaries who have taken a wealthy family hostage in their home. The film also stars John Leguizamo, Alex Hassell, and Beverly D'Angelo.

References

  1. Deeley, Michael (2009). Blade runners, deer hunters and blowing the bloody doors off : my life in cult movies. Pegasus Books. p. 107.
  2. Grant, Lee (2014). I said yes to everything : a memoir. Blue Rider Press, a member of Penguin Group (USA). p. 280.
  3. Movies: Unlovable image of a prickly pro Mills, Bart. Chicago Tribune 10 Feb 1974: e16.
  4. Coburn, Grant in Suspense Thriller Thomas, Kevin. Los Angeles Times 20 Sep 1974: f9.
  5. Vagg, Stephen (14 November 2020). "Ken Hughes Forgotten Auteur". Filmink.
  6. The Internecine Project at TV Guide