Holcroft Covenant
It can be sad to see when something such as this with a pretty solid story (based on the novel by Bourne Series scribe Robert Ludlum) and interesting premise can be undone by VERY bad production values that reduce it to grade-b territory, perhaps because this was an exclusively European production shot and financed over there as well back in 1985. They certainly got a prestigious director for it in John (Manchurian Candidate) Frankenheimer, but the constant amateur quality of many aspects (complete with a disclaimer on the DVD stating that as far as video quality goes, āWe did the best we couldā), mars the film from beginning to end. Michael Caine (right before his first Oscar win) stars as Noel Holcroft, an American architect called over to Switzerland only to learn that he has been made a trustee of an account worth 4 and a half billion dollars in stolen Nazi money from World War II. Now while this might sound like a bad Internet scheme to some, it turns out his biological father was a Nazi general who with two other officers, entrusted the money to a Swiss bank account with the intention that their children use the money to āmake amendsā for what the Nazis did, provided that Caine also tracks down the other progeny of the officers so that they also sign the covenant and take control of the money. Of course, this leads to an international adventure for Caine, as people are on his trail trying to kill him while others seem to want to help him, in a wild ride that includes an incestuous brother and sister with evil intentions, a ribald āsex paradeā in the streets of Germany, and the quest to find a so-called ālistā that basically has info on the most ruthless terrorists in the world, with the master plan being to use the 4.5 billion to fund an ultimate terror group that would cause so much economic and social chaos that it would reduce the civilized world to its knees. Indeed, it seems to be a scheme that would make even George Soros blush, and the way the story has Caine figure out whatās going on and set things right is actually rather enjoyable. The script does take some liberties with the occasional plot hole along with the character of a retired ex-Nazi in a wheelchair who is supposed to be a good guy but whose purpose to the story is never quite explained. The supporting cast includes Anthony Andrews as the other (evil) co-signee, whose monologue on how democracy has only made things worse since the Nazis were defeated (and justifies his own plans) is quite a well-written and acted spiel; Victoria Tennant in her gorgeous prime as the mystery woman of sorts who gets caught up with Caine; and the great German actress Lili Palmer as Caineās mother who becomes a target as well. However, Frankenheimer directs it with something a little less than panache, resulting in an ultimately cheap look that wonāt stand for modern moviegoers with high standards in their production quality. Overall, worth a look for Ludlum and Caine fans, but is probably the rare example of something that could benefit from a much more polished remakeā¦
7/10