Review of The Defector

Physicist from the US is blackmailed into aiding the CIA in the acquisition of top secret microfilm from a defecting Russian scientist (something to do with the moon-landing, and how the Russkies want to get there before the Americans do). Traveling to East Germany under an alias, the professor must keep his wits sharp as several nefarious characters already know his identity and his purpose in being in the country. Co-production from France and West Germany proved to be the final film of star Montgomery Clift (willing, but looking wan). Writer-producer-director Raoul Lévy, who adapted his screenplay from Paul Thomas's novel "The Spy", had an interesting eye for details, and he got solid performances from an international supporting cast (Lévy committed suicide two months after the picture's release). Still, the plot is a leaden one, with a dated Cold War theme and corny overtures to the spy game. The dubbing is often obtrusive, although Raoul Coutard's location photography (in curious colors) is quite attractive, and Clift's presence alone heightens the interest. ** from ****