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.

The legendary director Jack Arnold's last long-feature film is a raw and twisted blackmail thriller set in the beautifully picturesque country of Switzerland. In fact, the opening and closing credits, and many scenic sequences throughout the entire movie, almost make it look as if "The Swiss Conspiracy" is a tourist brochure in motion, as well as a typically 70s Euro-exploitation thriller! "Come to Switzerland! We have a lot more to offer than cuckoo clocks, cheese, expensive wristwatches and dubious bank affairs!" Well, actually, the plot of the film does principally revolve on the infamous Swiss banking structure. David Christopher, a former US government agent now retired and living in Zurich, is recruited as private security officer for a large and prominent Swiss bank. The bank itself, as well as five of its most respectable clients, are blackmailed into paying millions of Swiss Francs, otherwise their secret accounts full of fraudulent transactions will be publicly exposed. Christopher finds that everyone is a suspect, including the bank's Vice President and most of the blackmail victims, since they are borderline criminal and utterly corrupt themselves.

I often encounter the criticism that the plot of "The Swiss Conspiracy" is overly convoluted and almost incomprehensible. Don't be put off, because it's honestly not that difficult to follow! Like any good whodunit thriller, there are red herrings and plot twists, one more predictable and transparent than the other, and the experienced Jack Arnold keeps the pacing steady and the action continuous. The #1 reason for me to watch this film was the awesome ensemble cast! Personally, I never could stand David Janssen, but the supportive cast is downright phenomenal. The cast is a mixture of terrific American cult actors (Ray Milland, John Saxon, John Ireland, David Hess...) and Euro-exploitation regulars (Anton Diffring, Elke Sommer, Senta Berger,...). It's quite violent, with a few brutal and nihilistic executions, but also very entertaining and featuring scenic imagery from one of the most beautiful countries in Europe!

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.

Jack Arnold directed this independently produced thriller set in Switzerland at the Swiss Alps, as five wealthy clients of a Swiss bank find themselves being blackmailed that their account numbers and contents will be made public unless a ransom is paid, so their bank hires former U. S. Justice official David Christopher (played by David Janssen) to investigate the increasingly convoluted mystery where romance and assassins complicate things. Costarring Ray Milland, John Saxon, John Ireland, and Senta Berger.

Though filled with gorgeous and authentic scenery filmed in and around Zurich, unevenly paced film proves to be a medium mystery that never really amounts to much.