The Liquidator

Plot synopsis:
In 1944 during World War II, tank corps Sergeant "Boysie" Oakes (Rod Taylor) stumbles and unwittingly shoots and kills two men attempting to assassinate British Intelligence Major Mostyn (Trevor Howard) in Paris. Mostyn mistakenly believes Oakes was lethal on purpose.
Twenty years later, Mostyn (now a colonel in British Intelligence) and his boss (Wilfred Hyde-White) are in trouble due to a series of embarrassing security disasters. To save his job, the chief orders Mostyn to hire an assassin to illegally eliminate security leaks without official authorisation. Mostyn recruits Boysie into the Secret Service without first telling him what his employment will entail, luring him in with a lavish apartment and a fancy car. After Boysie passes a training course, Mostyn informs him that his code name is "L", and that it stands for liquidator. Unable to resign and not a killer himself, Boysie secretly hires a freelance professional assassin (Eric Sykes) to do the dirty work.
Things go well until Oakes persuades Mostyn's secretary Iris (Jill St. John) to spend the weekend with him on the Côte d'Azur, though Mostyn has warned him that any contact between spies and civilian employees is a serious criminal offence. Boysie is captured by enemy agents led by Sheriek (Akim Tamiroff), who firmly believes he is on assignment and wants to know who the target is. However, Sheriek's superior, Chekhov (John Le Mesurier), is coldly furious that he has gone beyond his orders to merely watch Boysie, thus endangering a much more important operation. He has Sheriek arrange for Boysie to escape.
Then Quadrant (David Tomlinson) arrives with a new mission for Boysie. He is to stage a fake assassination attempt on the Duke of Edinburgh when he visits a Royal Air Force base to test the security. Boysie has been duped: Quadrant is actually an enemy agent, and the bullets in his sniper rifle are real. Mostyn shows up in the duke's place and is able to locate Boysie, but while they are distracted, Quadrant and a pilot steal the real target: the Vulture, an advanced new aircraft which the duke was to inspect. Boysie manages to shoot Quadrant and board the plane as it is taking off. To his surprise, the pilot is none other than Iris, who informs him that she is the coordinator of the operation. He is able to overpower her and, with radio help, return the aircraft to the base.

Tags: murder

Review:
Rod Taylor is "The Liquidator" -- well, his superiors think he is, anyway -- in this 1965 spoof of the spy genre, directed by Jack Cardiff.The '60s was certainly an interesting time for films - spy films, spoofs of spy films, caper films, big historical films, and sex comedies.
Here we have a spoof of the James Bond films, with Rod Taylor playing Boys Oaks, a war acquaintance of Colonel Mostyn (Trevor Howard).
It's time to liquidate them, so The Chief (Wilfrid Hyde-White) orders Mostyn to find someone.Mostyn remembers Boys and his impressive actions during the war and drafts him.
Jill St. John plays Mostyn's beautiful, sexy secretary, Wilfrid Hyde-White plays the bureau chief; the film also features Akim Tamiroff.
One reviewer here wrote that this film was a poor excursion for the lead actor, Rod Taylor.
Yes, it was taken seriously by just about everyone.Knowing this, it is easily understood why actual spy agencies on our side, and behind the Iron Curtain countries actually generated such extremes as history reveals of this era - as serious exercises.Knowing this, simply sit back, relax your serious muscles, expose your humor muscles and enjoy this delightful film in the vein it was intended..
All the elements seem to be in place to make The Liquidator a success: a witty script, a strong cast, an over-the-top Shirley Bassey theme song, crisp cinematography in glorious 1960s Technicolor.
But having said that, the whole package doesn't quite come off.The basic idea is a clever one: to take the familiar secret agent movie premise and subvert it by making the central character a reluctant assassin who "wouldn't hurt a fly".
Like the Royal Air Force's new top secret spy plane, Taylor often seems to be running on automatic pilot.The comic elements here should have been exploited for much greater effect.
This provokes a cliff-top chase that culminates in a dangling moment of rare high tension, evoking the original Italian Job.Younger fans of the Austin Powers series may enjoy seeing what actual swinging '60s films were really like.
But where Mike Myers' films take the tiniest germ of a funny idea and magnify it over and over, The Liquidator does the reverse: a potentially promising humorous situation tends just to be left hanging in the air.For connoisseurs of British pictures of the period, there are little treats on offer too, in the appearance of familiar faces like Trevor Howard, Eric Sykes, Wilfred Hyde White and Richard Wattis - although again, their talent is mostly wasted.
The delightful Jill St. John (who would go on to do the "real thing" in Diamonds Are Forever) is eminently watchable throughout, and her performance raises the whole tone; indeed she and Howard are the best things on view here.Overall then, whilst The Liquidator is certainly an enjoyable film, with the right leading actor, or perhaps a director with a keener eye for comic possibilities, it could have been a much funnier romp through contemporary spy film clichés.
There was only one Liquidator film, unlike the duo of 'Flint' films and the Matt Helm film series, but it preceded both of them in jumping on the super spy spoof trend of the sixties - a trend instigated by none other than James Bond.
The plot sort of re-imagines the way Bond might have started in the spy/license-to-kill business: the title character (Taylor) sort of stumbles into the killing trade at the end of the war (the Big One, in Paris), making a long-lasting impression on his future boss (Howard).
The whole thing's a more direct satirical jab at the secret agent genre than the later spoofs because the central 'hero' is a total fraud, unlike, say, Matt Helm, who may indulge in too much booze, but can still kill effectively and even effortlessly.
Unfortunately for the relatively harmless Boysie/soon-to-be-known-as-L, the head of British Intelligence, years later, abruptly decides on a new policy: dispense with the standard bureaucracy and simply eliminate enemies of the state (Queen & Country) behind-the-scenes, without the usual rules.
Now, the actor Rod Taylor is actually better suited for straight action roles; he comes across as genuinely rough-&-tumble and I remember him from quite a few effective tough-guy roles in the sixties.
Though this may be a sly commentary on the overly-involved nature of shadow operations in government, the story also slows down to a crawl, with much of the focus on L's attempts to make time with his boss's secretary (Jill St.John).
I admit I was disappointed when I saw this many years ago, probably because it was such a sharp deviation from an expected formula, but this film has grown on me and I thoroughly enjoy much of it now, mostly Taylor's and Howard's performances, as well as Tomlinson as a sneaky villain.
I loved the fact that Shirley Bassey sang the theme song a la James Bond.
A particularly funny part occurs when Trevor Howard is rescued by Boysie, as Paris is being liberated.
Howard thinks that Boysie is a killing machine when, in fact, he is a hopelessly clumsy young man.
Rod Taylor is deliciously sexy in the film and displays his flair for comedy..
But The Liquidator does more than an admirable job of standing the test of time over the past 52 years such that Rod Taylor and Jill St. John's performances should always be remembered for being the feature stars of this tongue in cheek ode to the spy genre.I really enjoyed it and I will be sure to be purchasing a copy of this grand action and fun filled film for my personal viewing pleasure so that I don't have to wait a few more years for TCM to re-run a series of all the Rod Taylor classic films that were box office successes.Rod Taylor plays something of a combination of a poor man's James Bond who enjoys romancing a variety of beautiful women and even a funnier man's Inspector Clouseau with both charm and candor and a whole lot of gullibility.
This film provides for fans of Rod Taylor why this Australian born actor could not be stereotyped as just a leading man, or as a dramatic actor in suspenseful roles as in THE BIRDS, or as a captain of a spaceship or as a cowboy.
No, Rod Taylor is much like a chameleon who can change color or acting style as the film requires of him.Ann-Margret also does an excellent job playing Iris MacIntosh, the administrative assistant to the Colonel Mostyn, played by Trevor Howard.
The film is filled to the brim and overflowing with plot, romance, action and most importantly much humor and wit by Rod Taylor.I liked The Liquidator and I believe you will too.
I give this 52 year old film a very strong 8 out of 10 rating and I for one will be sure to be watching it again as this spy genre spoof has held up very well thank you..
Unfortunately his back was turned when Trevor Howard was helped out of a bad jackpot during the liberation of Paris by Rod Taylor.
If he had actually seen just how Taylor saved his life, he might never have thought of him as a perfect candidate for being The Liquidator.It's what British Secret Service needs as Wilfrid Hyde-White tells his number 2 who is now Howard and 20 years later after the end of World War II.
And Howard thinks is wartime savior is the perfect candidate for the job.Not that Taylor is all that hip to the idea.
But he reads those James Bond novels and sees those movies and he knows what perks come with being an operator.
Certainly Howard knows them too and he provides generously even overlooking the fact that his secretary Jill St. John is being tapped by Taylor.
If the bad guys succeed the United Kingdom will really learn what embarrassment is all about.In the James Bond tradition with title song sung by Shirley Bassey, The Liquidator is an amusing spy spoof.
Jill St. John who is also a Bond girl in good standing is just as beautiful with a role a lot more substantive.Folks who like the espionage genre should like The Liquidator..
Rod is fun to watch but his character is badly developed.The rest of the movie is very weak.
Rod Taylor (handsome and game, as usual) plays an accidental hero who becomes a secret agent for the British.
Begins well (with an amusingly melodramatic Shirley Bassey theme song and clever credits sequence), but film then goes downhill while trying--and failing--to formulate a plot.
Jack Cardiff directs, in his usual impersonal style; he seems to know very little about the spy genre, and approaches the material in a by-the-numbers fashion.
'The Liquidator' was based on the first published novel by John Gardner, whom years later continued the literary James Bond saga.
Embarrassed by a number of high-profile spy scandals, 'The Chief' ( Wilfrid Hyde-White ) of the Department of Special Security orders his second-in-command 'Mostyn' ( Trevor Howard ) to recruit a new agent - to be codenamed 'L' ( guess what that stands for?
The man Mostyn selects is ex-army sergeant 'Brian Ian Oakes', who goes by the bizarre nickname of 'Boysie' ( Rod Taylor ).
Boysie enjoys the high living and lots of pretty girls cross his bedroom floor, but he is not a cold-blooded killer and has to hire a cheap hit-man - 'Charlie Griffin' ( Eric Sykes ) to do the killing for him.
Directed by cinematographer Jack Cardiff, this is a lot of fun, and benefits from good location shooting in Nice as well as a top-notch cast.
Future 007 girl Jill St.John is 'Iris Macintosh', Mostyn's secretary, whom Boysie tempts overseas for a dirty weekend, thereby breaching Department guidelines.
The powerful title song performed by Shirley Bassey would not have disgraced a real Bond movie.
I first saw this one on the CBS Late Movie in about July of 1972, and (even more than most of those) I can never see it without seeing that radiating star (I even remember where in the film one of the commercial breaks was.) Yes, the theme song (by Lalo Schifrin) practically dares you to call it "Bond rip-off", but that's as presumptuous with this mid-'60s spy movie as it is with so many others.
Rod Taylor, an actor who can fit into so many kinds of role, is perfectly believable as a person more or less drafted into being a spy, and an assassin, because of Trevor Howard's instincts about him, in spite of the fact that he's never actually killed anyone (except during the war, and even THEN it was more or less accidental!).
And, like any given person in this position, he tries to have it both ways - tries to hang onto the "jet set" spy movie type of lifestyle they've given him, but with no real intention of doing what they want!
In an early scene, Taylor's well-built girlfriend was standing beside a cage with a variety of birds, and Howard said, "Multi-coloured tits!" (The name of the bird species, which made it "acceptable.") And Jill St. John, who might not have a WHOLE LOT to do beyond being "window dressing", is just right for this kind of film (though I'm prejudiced when it comes to her).
When a very surprised Rod Taylor discovered that she'd been part of the plot all along, she laughed at his confusion, and said, "You dumb ox!" (Kind of a down-to-earth thing for the "femme fatale" to say to the hero!) Some of the best funny parts (in a dark comedy way) have to do with Boysie hiring a professional hit man named Mr. Griffen (played by Eric Sykes) to do the killings that HE'S supposed to be doing, and this part had a really great line (in a very understated way).
I always loved James Bond spoofs such as the Derrick Flint and Matt Helm movies, and "The Liquidator" stands above those.Rod Taylor plays Boysie Oakes, a hapless tank commander at the end of WWII, who accidentally saves Colonel Mostyn (Trevor Howard) from two rival spies.
Years later, when Britain's spy network is inundated with embarrassing counter-spies, Mostyn remembers Oakes and hires him as "Agent L" (Liquidator) to neatly get rid of these embarrassments.
Taylor has the unique ability to seem inept at being a spy, while at the same time showing skills above and beyond those around him, and making it all perfectly believable.The subtle comedy and all of the twists and turns (likely and unlikely) make this a very enjoyable and engrossing film.
it's too bad there was only one Liquidator film.
It's really too bad that there was only one LIQUIDATOR film, as I really enjoyed it.
That's because unlike most other spoofs of the James Bond genre, this one takes itself a little more seriously.
While I know that there are people out there that think Matt Helm and the Flint movies were NOT total crap (sorry folk, they were), this film doesn't degenerate to smarminess and cheap jokes to make gentle fun of the genre.
You see, instead of an obnoxious and over-sexed lead, Rod Taylor plays a secret agent and assassin who HATES the idea of killing anyone!
Two actors not known for comedy, Rod Taylor and Trevor Howard, lead a cast of British comic stalwarts in this sometimes clever, sometimes dopey, James Bond spoof.
Taylor takes the part of "L" (the Liquidator) who actually is what Bond pretends to be: an assassin paid by the British government (i.e., taxpayers).
Taylor's character (curiously named Boysie Oakes) can shoot pretty well (trained in WW2) but he can't kill a fly.
Then he takes off for the weekend with the boss' secretary (the Miss Moneypenny role, here called Iris--Jill St. John, who never looked lovelier) and all heck breaks loose.Fine supporting work by Akim Tamiroff, the always watchable Wilfred Hyde-White, and David Tomlinson (not long off "Mary Poppins") playing .
Though the laughs are few and far between the movie never takes itself seriously, and it starts off with Shirley Bassey belting out a ridiculous theme song over the credits, sounding suspiciously like "Goldfinger" only more so.So why didn't Taylor make more comedies?
I do like Rod Taylor and was taken aback by how well he underplayed this role and of course a cinema legend like Trevor Howard sending himself up was an utter joy .
Please watch some of their movies (Clouded Yellow for Trevor) and maybe (No-one Runs for Ever for a rustic Rod)you will see much more in this comedy..
Rod Taylor play the exact reverse of James Bond here.
The film starts with him doing an F-Troop style rescue of a British Spy in Paris liberation during World War 2 (in black and white no less).
Then we move to modern day (1965) type British Spys where the guy he rescued is now a handler of spies.His Chief (the underused here) Wilfred Hyde White orders him to come up with a professional assassin to kill the other sides spies without causing media scandals.
This is where Trevor Howard (Mostyn) remembers Taylor (Boysie Oakes) who rescued him.
After 12 successful contracts, Boysie decides to take a week-end off and take Iris, Mostyn secretary (Jill St. John) on a week-end jet trip to France and Monacco.This is where complications happen.
Seems Boysie (Code named L) has developed a 12 accident contract killing reputation and some folks think he is in France for reason other than whop-pee with Iris posing as his wife.When the MGM Logo starts the credits and Shirley Bassey kicks up the theme song, it reminds one much of the Bond movies it is spoofing.
The cast is pretty top notch and considering John Gardener wrote the script and would later take over writing the Bond novels, to confusion is complete.
The difference is Taylor plays the Bond who is totally not aware of what is going on around him.Plenty of girls and plenty of fun here.
While in Paris during World War 2 a bumbling American sergeant by the name of "Boysie Oakes" (Rod Taylor) saves a British secret agent named "Mostyn" (Trevor Howard) by accidentally killing his two attackers.
Since they need an assassin Mostyn immediately thinks of Boysie.
Admittedly, it starts off a bit slow but it does pick up a bit after that with Jill St. John (as "Iris") providing some good scenery along the way.
Terrible film with Rod Taylor, Trevor Howard and Jill St. John thrown into an awful script.The British secret service needs someone to start knocking off people within their own ranks who appear to have become problems.
Rod Taylor is brought to do this.Taylor is not an exactly James Bond type.
Jill St. John isn't exactly that innocent secretary she is made out to be.Falling for fake bullets seems to be par for the course for Taylor in this ridiculous farce.
And there's a good supporting cast in this spy spoof as well -- Wilfred Hyde-White, Trevor Howard, David Tomlinson, the succulent Jill St. John.Taylor is recruited as a temporary James Bond figure, so outside the usual frame of spyhood that he must be trained from the start.
Certainly no one would suspect him of anything except hustling young ladies.There's an amusing scene at the climax with a terrified Taylor all alone at the controls of a British bomber, knowing nothing of flying, and being talked down by a droll Richard Wattis.
But there have been so MANY send ups of James Bond since the early 60s, and after all, with Sean Connery as the central figure, the series was bound to be a spoof of itself.
Some of the imitations were relatively earnest and were entertaining in themselves, like Charles Vine in "The Second Best Secret Agent In The Whole Wide World." But then there was an argosy of others like "Our Man Flint." By 1967, the genre seemed to have run its course and the green-lighters gave up and came out with the frankly absurd and sometimes hilarious "Casino Royale," with a dozen different Bonds.