Banning

Robert Wagner's expressionless approach to acting is utilized to good effect in this soaper involving a playboy golf-pro from the country club circuit who enters a doubles tournament with prize-booty attached...and shady dealings on the side. Universal drama (still unreleased to any home-viewing market) looks terrific in vivid colors, and features a fine music score from Quincy Jones (who received an Oscar nod for the film's main theme). The characters are not a lively lot (except for sultry-eyed Jill St. John), but the third-act golfing sequences are extremely well done, helping even sports novices to become absorbed by the plotting. Golf is not the most cinematic sport, yet director Ron Winston is very straightforward and focused, and he's careful not to let the melodramatics overshadow the nuances of the game. For golfing buffs and aficionados of '60s style, the film can't miss. **1/2 from ****