The Swiss Conspiracy

On the surface, "The Swiss Conspiracy" seems to have a lot going for it. It has a good cast (including David Janssen, John Saxon, John Ireland, and Ray Milland.) It was also completely filmed in Switzerland, a country you don't often see in a movie. Also, the plot, concerning the secretive world of Swiss bank, seems fresher than usual. Unfortunately, the end results simply don't work. The movie is extremely talky, with precious little action to enliven things up. What little action there is is also not that well constructed, coming across as humdrum as those talky parts. And while the cast may be made of professionals, the performances aren't that interesting - maybe the actors sensed they were in a bomb and decided not to make any effort. About all the movie has going for it are some scenic Swiss locations.

Swiss Conspiracy opens with a screen of text, explaining that Switzerland has always been the perfect place for people to stash their money, acquired legally or not. How ironic it is that as I am watching this in July 2008, the State Department in Washington DC is formally requesting that the larger Swiss banks provide banking records to the IRS and to the Dept of Homeland Security here in the US. Swiss Conspiracy stars David Janssen, probably best known as the "Fugitive" and "Harry O" and Ray Milland ( Lost Weekend, and all those black & white movies from the 1930s and 1940s). Costars John Ireland, Elke Sommer, John Saxon, and a whole mess of bit parts. Janssen, as David Christopher, must figure out to keep the bank's clients from having their names and secrets exposed by a blackmailer. Has some cussing and violence, including a shoot- em- up right from the beginning scenes. No real big surprises in this one, but its an interesting What-If ... especially now that the U.S. is cracking down on its citizens moving money overseas. An hour and a half well spent. and some interesting photography of Switzerland to boot. Could have done without the silly "Sloop John B" euro re-make, which plays while Christopher is waiting for Denise to get dressed.

THE SWISS CONSPIRACY was advertised as "the ultimate blackmail thriller", and while it's too far from reaching top-notch status, it is a stylish piece of 70s intrigue from across the Atlantic. A B-movie running on overdrive is what you may hardly ever believe, but there is some attention worth grabbing on the action parts that flow at a solid pace, and can provide a few nifty surprises. Just try not to expect plenty of spectacular stunts from a flick like this, although the exotic sports cars are worth a look. If there are certain B-movie stars you can recognize, look for John Saxon in a convincing, but unfortunately brief role of a crook, plus international film starlets Senta Berger and Elke Sommer. And don't forget our major eye David Janssen, who's trying to get things straight with lovely Berger on his wing. A pretty good minor crime classic that delivers a slightly different beat of an ending.

This movie was paced so slowly that even snails would be saying "Hello, I'd like to get there sometime today!" The best part of the movie is where this chef in a restaurant goes after someone with a cleaver. After that it goes downhill from there. So yeah, there's a conspiracy to forward the cause of bad films everywhere. I had to watch the ending a couple of times because I kept nodding off. If you are suffering from insomnia, pop this movie in and start watching it. It worked so well,that I almost got fired for sleeping on the job. If you want to see a better movie starring David Janssen, go watch Moon of the Wolf. In fact, the only reason I saw this movie was because it was on a DVD with Moon of the Wolf. It was in a bargain bin at a Walgreens near where I work. The sticker price was one dollar. It was one of those DVD's that are out there that are packaged in one of those slim jewel cases, and the DVD is double sided (a movie on both sides). Although I was surprised to see that Ray Milland starred in this movie. If you want to see a Ray Milland movie that's better, go watch Frogs. It has him and Sam Elliot.

Good cast delivers in this interesting blackmail plot involving Swiss bank accounts. Started somewhat slow but built nicely into a satisfying conclusion. Anton Diffring always adds a nice sinister element to a movie. Ray Milland is perfectly cast as the bank president. Janssen seemed to have a hard time getting into the proceedings but got better as the movie progressed. The other characters were reasonably well developed which gave the movie more depth. Great location shooting, vintage Ferraris, and Senta and Elke were definite pluses. Overall an enjoyable viewing especially if you enjoy Euro-based thrillers.