1973? What sticks in your memory? Al Pacino in “Serpico,” Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen in “Papillon” and “The Sting,” with Robert Redford and Paul Newman? But “The MacKintosh Man?” Somehow I missed it.
But here it is today, dusted off and ready for another chance at glory, but only because this year’s MIFF guest of honor Dominique Sanda co-stars, sort of.
Movie info
“The MacKintosh Man”
Thriller (1973)
A member of British Intelligence assumes a fictitious criminal identity and allows himself to be caught, imprisoned, and freed in order to infiltrate a spy organization and expose a traitor.
Time: 3:30 p.m. Monday, July 16
Venue: Railroad Square Cinema
Address: 17 Railroad Square, Waterville
Website: miff.org
Length: 98 minutes
MPAA rating: PG
Director: John Huston
Writers: Walter Hill (screenplay), Desmond Bagley (novel)
Stars: Paul Newman, Dominique Sanda, James Mason
The star here is the late Paul Newman, who in his early years got by with his blue eyes and cool charm, while dancing through dozens of mediocre flicks, none of which tapped his real gifts.
Not even “Cat On a Hot Tin Roof” or “Cool Hand Luke” really tested his strengths.
It wasn’t until 1982’s “The Verdict,” where he stunned us all by becoming the broken down alcoholic attorney Frank Galvin, did the sparks fly.
And then in 2002’s “Road to Perdition,” as the dying gangster John Rooney, a role I consider his best, did we see the blue-eyed legend emerge.
Along the way, there were other sinkers like “The Drowning Pool,” “Slap Shot” and “Hombre,” a terrible western in which he was asked to play a blue-eyed Apache. But even giant stars have to pay the rent.
Today, we revisit “The MacKintosh Man,” which director John Huston admitted that he and Paul only did for the money.
Here, Paul plays Rearden, a British counterintelligence agent with an Aussie accent, who has been hired for a job by the wonderful Harry Andrews.
Wait a minute, hold on. OMG. Is that Dominique Sanda in a Burberry raincoat as another spy? Yes, it is. Never mind. She only has a few lines, but a truly big finish. It’s worth slogging through this briar patch to see it.
So, Paul’s mission here, should he accept, is to play a jewel thief, get caught, sent to prison, where he is comforted by Nigel Patrick (sporting a great British name, “Soames-Trevelyan”) who arranges for him to break out of prison with “Slade,” a known British Communist spy (Ian Bannen), and taken to a clandestine safe house for rehab.
Okay, I’m confused too, but stick with me. This house, a nice, comfy mansion, seems to be located in the Irish countryside. Here, Paul is given a new wardrobe including a “Mr. Roger’s” cardigan.
When he’s feeling better, he is asked to pay a huge sum of money to be spirited out of the country.
But when they discover that he’s a fake, or the fake of a fake, he manages to kill or cripple a couple of his captors, steal a gun, jump out of a window, and flee across miles of stone walls, marshy patches of peat, meadows, brooks and rocks, while being pursued by three men and a dog. Well, it beats the hoary old car chases.
All of this, it turns out, has been a roundabout plan to uncover and bring down a respected member of Parliament who, in his spare time, is a top Soviet agent. This will be Sir George Wheeler played by (thank God) James Mason. So that’s what it was all about?
If you’ve been keeping count, you know by now that all the actors in this drama, except for the lovely Ms. Sanda, are dead.
We know Dominique is very much alive, because she’s visiting with us. How wonderful.
A note: Someone once asked, “You put Paul Newman and Dominique Sanda in the same movie, and they don’t even get to kiss?” Wow!
J.P. Devine, of Waterville, is a former stage and film actor.
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