During the 1956 Hungarian uprising, an American mercenary is hired to smuggle a Hungarian resistance leader out of Soviet-occupied Budapest.During the 1956 Hungarian uprising, an American mercenary is hired to smuggle a Hungarian resistance leader out of Soviet-occupied Budapest.During the 1956 Hungarian uprising, an American mercenary is hired to smuggle a Hungarian resistance leader out of Soviet-occupied Budapest.
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- (as Georg Köváry)
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaRichard Widmark's wife, Jean Hazlewood, wrote the screenplay. It was her only screenwriting credit.
- GoofsAlthough the film is set in 1956 Hungary. The opening title of the movie is The Austrian-Hungarian Border 1960.
- Quotes
Jancsi: That would be convenient wouldn't it? You've made arrangements, certain plans to deliver me from my enemies into the hands of Herr Scheffler. You overlooked one thing only - I don't choose to leave my country.
Michael Reynolds: Sir, you don't have a choice, your time is up.
Jancsi: If that is so, Mr Reynolds, I'll die here.
Michael Reynolds: Why do you have to die? What for? I don't believe in it. Look, I came here to save your neck and I'm going to do it, even if you don't want it saved.
Jancsi: Whatever I do with my life is my own business. No one else's.
Michael Reynolds: Oh, you don't understand. In an few days you won't have a life.
The Count: We know our position better than you do.
Michael Reynolds: No, you don't! Scheffler is a pipeline. If he says I've got two days to get you out, you've got two days. Now, you can wait here like sitting ducks or you can do something. But there's a way out. If you're reasonable, you'll take it.
Jancsi: There's no profit for you, don't bother about that.
Michael Reynolds: Alright, I'm being paid. I know you'd like it better if I was some great humanitarian who believed in your cause. Well, I don't even know what your cause is.
The Count: That shouldn't surprise us.
Michael Reynolds: Well, who does outside this room? You could yell your heads off, nobody'd hear you. They aren't listening. They're all like me, I promise you; they couldn't care less. Causes are outmoded. Everybody's learned to live by compromise. Why can't you?
Jancsi: There isn't any compromise. To compromise is to doubt your own convictions. If they're worth having, they're unshakeable.
Michael Reynolds: Convictions are fine, if you live.
Jancsi: Mr. Reynolds, if I can live one day to save one person, that's enough.
Michael Reynolds: But you can do more than that on the outside. Unless you're determined to die a a martyr. And a crackpot!
The film stars Richard Widmark as Michael Reynolds, an American adventurer who will do all sorts of things for a buck. His latest assignment is to spirit a leader of the Hungarian underground movement following the unsuccessful Hungarian revolt against the USSR in 1956.
For much of the film, Widmark hangs around Vienna and talks a lot...punctuated by a beating from some thugs. When he goes to Budapest, the same pattern pretty much continues...with lots of talking and communist party officials hanging about him as he tries to move about the city in search of the man he is supposed to slip out of the Iron Curtain. Along for the ride is the confusingly written daughter of the man he is trying to save.
The best thing about this film is probably the wonderful black & white cinematography. It has a noir sort of look and really was lovely. As far as the story and acting go, they take a back seat to the images you see of the cities (of course, being an anti-communist film, they didn't really film in Hungary). As far as thrills go, the movie is just fair...and nothing more. I think it really needed more action and less sarcastic dialog from Widmark. Additionally, Widmark's character seemed to have no real plan...as if you could just easily flee from Budapest to freedom! In fact, it was comically easy...too easy...so much that it really hurt the story. Overall, not too bad...but more of a time-passer than anything else.
- planktonrules
- Aug 9, 2022
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Details
- Runtime1 hour 52 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1