Hopscotch

The plot for "Hopscotch" is very simple. One of the top CIA field agents is being sent to a desk job until retirement. Walter Matthau plays Miles Kendig. His boss is of the Ivy League set and doesn't like the way Miles works. Ned Beatty plays boss Myerson. We don't like him right away. He's a jerk, not as intelligent, and he swears and cusses a lot. Miles won't take it sitting down, and decides to go on the lamb. He destroys the CIA file on himself, and through work contacts arranges for a few new IDs – passports and all.

Miles contacts a former colleague and girlfriend to help him with parts of his plan. He wants to get back together with Isobel (played by Glenda Jackson), who is a well-to-do widow now living in Switzerland. A couple of other main characters are Cutter, a CIA agent who Miles trained, and who is now in charge of trying to find him. Cutter likes Miles, and tells the boss that he will be a step ahead of them all the way. The other character of substance is a Soviet counterpart to Miles, whom Miles like and respects. Miles know how he thinks.. Herbert Lom plays Yaskov, who also likes and respects Miles.

Most of the film is about Miles eluding the CIA who pursue him around the globe. He is writing his memoirs and sending them, a chapter at a time, to the CIA and its counterparts in Moscow, Peking, London and Rome. Myerson wants Miles "eliminated," and maybe the other intelligence groups do as well. But Miles finds a publisher in London, and his book becomes a best seller. As he sets in play each move, Miles stays a step ahead of his pursuers. Until the very end with its unusual but not very surprising ending.

The film is based on a book by Brian Garfield. In an interview that came with my DVD of the movie, Garfield said he wanted to write a CIA story as an adventure and a comedy without the gore and killing. His screenplay kept to the book in that regard. He and Ronald Neame, director, talked about how Ned Beatty had to practice using his profanity because he wasn't that way in real life. That's the one thing that keeps this from being a movie for all ages.

Another reviewer noted how the intrigue of the plot keeps one somewhat on edge for what comes next. We all pull for Miles and want him to succeed. The comedy isn't of the loud laughing type, but is dry and subtle at times with some humorous situations. It's an enjoyable film, but there's still something lacking about it. We don't see or know what Miles plans to do from one point to the next --- and there's a sense that he doesn't have a plan. He even says something to that effect at one point. Yet his every move seems so methodically planned out. He moves too smoothly and almost nonchalantly between stops. He visits a forger. He flies to Switzerland. He rents a car. He drives to see Isobel. He flies to London. He visits a man for a job there. He flies to Washington. He drives to South Carolina. He rents a house. He hires an oil truck. He hires a plane and pilot. He flies to Bermuda. He flies to London. He hires buys, rents and flies ad infinitum.

The movie was shot in several locations – London, Munich, Salzburg, Atlanta and other locales. In the interview that came with my DVD, we learn that Matthau was cool on doing the filming portion in Germany. He is Jewish and lost several relatives who were killed by Nazi Germany during World War II. Ronald Neame explains how he got Matthau to come around. It involved giving parts in the film to some relatives. Mathau's son, David Matthau, plays CIA agent Ross. Lucy Saroyan, daughter of Matthau's second wife, plays the airline pilot, Carla. Both tested well for their parts, according to Neame, and he said he made their roles conditional on Matthau's agreeing to the filming in Munich during the annual Oktoberfest there.

This movie was made at a time when Cold War spy and espionage films were highly popular. It broke away from the usual suspense and mayhem with killing and gruesome scenes. It offers a light comedic touch to the otherwise dark and often seedy world of espionage. It's not a great or complex film, but a light comedy that most adults should enjoy.

After growing tired of the job, CIA agent Miles Kendig decides to get out of the business once and for all. Fearing that his peace, and maybe his life, could be threatened by the organisation, he tells them that unless he is left alone he will spill the beans on all the secrets that he knows about. They call his bluff, thinking he is full of bitter hot air, so he promptly starts sending out to them one chapter at a time. Realising that Kendig is serious, the CIA sets about putting a stop to him, by whatever means necessary!!. But with Kendig having been one of their own once, he is one shrewd customer, and stopping him is going to be one hell of a job.

Based on the Brian Garfield novel, Hopscotch is a cheeky comedy paced with utter perfection from director Ronald Neame. Featuring a very accomplished cast, Walter Matthau, Glenda Jackson, Herbert Lom, Ned Beatty & Sam Waterston, Hopscotch relies on a sharp script and incredibly appealing dialogue to bring home the bacon, and it does, admirably so. It's the type of film that one knows is not about winning awards, the kind of film that is an actors film, where everyone is comfortable with the material and appears to be having a great time. The lead role of Kendig is tailor made for Matthau, ambling along at his own pace with a glint in his eye and a quip on his tongue, Matthau carries the film with charming ease. The others all contribute of course, but the comedy gold comes from Walter and that lived in face of his. So bits of drama here, bits of comedy there, Hopscotch is a very well made and hugely enjoyable picture, recommended. 7/10

Walter Matthau's Sense of Verbal Easiness and Physical Slouching is Showcased in this Breezy, Easy Going Spy Comedy. The Laughs are Subtle most of the Time Lending itself to Situations and Dry Displays of Visual and Verbal Offhandedness.

It's a Fun Film, especially if You Like Mattheau. The Supporting Cast all do Good work. Ned Beatty, Sam Waterston, Herbert Lom, and Glenda Jackson all Play Off of the Mattheau Schickt.

It Moves at a Fast Pace where there is No Time for Fancy Frills and Thrills, it gets its Energy from anything but the Spy Movies it is Satirizing. There is Virtually No Resemblance to a "Bond" Movie or even a "Flint". It's Style is more like a TV Show where Everything is Bright, Colorful, Staged, Minimal, and Unpretentious.

Overall, it is Witty Enough and Engaging Enough to be Entertaining for the Majority of Moviegoers. Although, it got Mediocre Reviews Initially, the Movie has Gained more Acceptance Over the Years.

The Globe Hopping Helps the Postcard Look and is Definitely Worth a Watch for Undiscriminating Fans of the Spy Genre, Fluffy Take-Offs, and those who just want to Fly through a Couple of Hours with very little to Tax the Viewer. It's almost Therapeutic in its Zen Like Naturalness.

The most impressive thing about this movie is the way the director manages the tone of this film. The balance between comedy and drama is handled with great aplomb. This is best in encapsulated in the Myerson character. His ineptness is clearly the comic relief yet he also is trying to hunt down Kendig. I had seen other films where Matthau was in a supporting role like Mirage and Charade but here he is the star and he carries the film perfectly. The new Criterion Collection DVD has a very interesting interviews that add immensely to the appreciation of the film. 8/10.

Hopscotch (1980)

A lightweight, enjoyable entertainment about an aging spy who has fun going renegade in his final weeks.

I have to admit I liked the movie for the congeniality of Walter Matthau. While not as zany (and original) as the much earlier "Charade" (also with Matthau), "Hopscotch" shares a lot of the feel of that movie, with villains who aren't quite villainous, and a leading man who is part bumbling and part a step ahead of the game. The supporting cast is fun, though just barely--both of the key CIA guys after our hero are good actors at their best, but they are not at their best here, especially Sam Waterston in a wishy-washy role. Most peculiar of all, and almost scotch-taped into both the plot and the casting, is very British and very different actress Glenda Jackson, a former spy who chips in as needed, and plays a growing role as things proceed.

British director Ronald Neame (who directed "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" and "The Odessa File") is completely in charge here, making the most of a middling script that uses well worn or barely surprising twists and gags to keep a potentially violent espionage film from ever leaving light comedy. Because in fact the pace is consistent and the filming (under the eye of Arthur Ibbeteson, also British) is completely fine, if nothing to write home about. In fact, this feels like high budget British television, which is something different than pure Hollywood. Or it might feel like 1960 Hollywood widescreen with minor updates--not including the 1960s Hollywood star, Mr. Matthau.

But it is Matthau's movie, fortunately. He can be a convincing bumpkin and a warm hearted fellow, and he can be clever beneath his seeming simplicity. All of this is an advantage here, and you are completely on his side as he thwarts, with winks and tricks, the supposedly superior forces of a full press CIA assault. Expect some fun, and you won't be disappointed.