I have mixed feelings about this international thriller classic. On the one hand, it has some tremendous positives:

1. Dustin Hoffman and Lord Larry Olivier? It doesn't get much better than that, and both were cast ideally.

2. Marthe Keller with her clothes off.

3. Some of the best individual scenes I've ever seen. The famous dental torture scene, the scene where Hoffman throws the diamonds into the waterworks (very reminiscent of the sewer scenes in The Third Man), the shot of Olivier's face shot from below - up through the diamonds, the scene with Hoffman in bed with a flashlight, the scene with Hoffman in the tub, some of the scenes with Roy Scheider in Paris, Devane's fake rescue. There is brilliant camera positioning, tension, spectacle, good performances, things that aren't what they appear to be, everything you'd want in an Cold War Thriller.

4. I very much liked the way they built up the mystery with Scheider's character. For the longest time, you think he's probably evil, but you don't know what the hell he's doing. Then you think he's OK. Then you don't know, even at the end, if he was just a simple thief all along.

5. When the film is over, you get the feeling that you've watched something substantial because the film manipulates your emotions in the ways it intends to, and seems significant, perhaps more significant than it really is.


On the other hand, thrillers are supposed to be plot-driven and I have to tell you, this made no sense at all in some scenes. It throws a double whammy at you - you can't figure out some scenes when they happen, then they still don't make any sense when you have all the explanations.

So why did those two guys in the park mug Hoffman and Keller again? As a warning to Scheider? Can't be, because then they would have done it when Hoffman was alone, to avoid blowing Keller's cover. Because Hoffman was with Keller when it happened, Scheider heard the story and immediately suspected Keller was somehow involved.

Why did they think Hoffman would hit on Keller in the library? He was a scholarly man who never hit on anyone, but she made it exceedingly difficult, and he ran after her for blocks?

What is the point of the bomb blast in the baby carriage? (Except that it was a cool scene) Nobody knew where Scheider would park, or even when he was coming. (He was three days late, as the script points out)

What is the mysterious soccer ball all about? Is there a missing scene?

Why did Devane go over to the dark side?

Was Scheider just a common thief, after all. That was implied by Olivier's explanation.

Why did the American intelligence guys protect Sell, a known major Nazi, in order to get his info on a bunch of small fish? If any of the Americans wanted a career boost and headline power, turning in Sell was the way to go.

Why did the death of Sell's brother change anything? Scheider already had received the key from him before the accident. That was the key that Scheider was carrying around, wasn't it? Or was it something else?

Why didn't the brother just take out the diamonds little by little and convert them to cash a bit at a time from 1946-1976. After all, he had the damned key.

Worst of all, why did Devane give Hoffman the correct address of the bank? One second after Hoffman went out the door, Devane followed him, intending to kill him, so obviously he lied when he said "I'll give you Sell for your brother". But why didn't he also lie and say, "Sell is at a bank at 33rd and Lex" instead of giving Hoffman the correct address. C'mon, the guy was a trained spook. Obviously, Hoffman would have said OK, and left, just as he did with the real address, because he had no idea which one was real.

Perhaps the novel explains all these things in depth, but the movie is confusing, and sometimes just plain wrong, as in the last item with Devane giving Hoffman the correct address. I would have cut a lot of scenes out of this film to make it more comprehensible and tighter.

Good performers, some great scenes, in search of better continuity and logic.