Callan (1974)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Don Sharp

Writer:

James Mitchell (novel)

Release Date:

11 April 1975 (Finland)

Genre:

Thriller

Tagline:

Your favourite undercover agent blasts the big screen

Plot:

David Callan, top agent/assassin for the S.I.S., was forced to retired because he had lost his nerve...

Plot Keywords:

Remake | Spy | Sequel | Independent Film | Based On Novel

Cast

Edward Woodward	...	David Callan
Eric Porter	...	Hunter
Carl Möhner	...	Schneider
Catherine Schell	...	Jenny
Peter Egan	...	Toby Meres
Russell Hunter	...	Lonely
Kenneth Griffith	...	Waterman
Michael Da Costa	...	The Greek (as Michael da Costa)
Veronica Lang	...	Liz, Hunter's Secretary
Clifford Rose	...	Dr. Snell
David Prowse	...	Arthur (as Dave Prowse)
Don Henderson	...	George
Nadim Sawalha	...	Padilla
David Graham	...	Wireless operator
Yuri Borionko	...	Security porter (as Yuri Borienko)

Also Known As:

The Neutralizer
This Is Callan (UK) (video box title)

Runtime:

Germany:88 min | USA:106 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby | Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Finland:K-16 | West Germany:16 | USA:PG | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Lee International Studios, Wembley, London, England, UK

Company:

Magnum Films

Trivia:

Whilst making the film, Woodward was also playing five different rôles on stage in Ferenc Molnár's "The Wolf" in the evenings, plus two matinée performances.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: As Callan opens Schneider's wall-safe, the action jiggles the picture hanging above it, which it clearly would not if the wall were real.

Quotes:

Hunter: Did you rebuke Lonely?
David Callan: [depressed] Yes.
Hunter: Sufficiently?
David Callan: [angry] He thinks so!

Movie Connections:

Remake of "Armchair Theatre: A Magnum for Schneider (#7.2)" (1967)

Tough,no-nonsense spy story

An acceptable expansion of the pilot episode of the celebrated TV spy series,CALLAN benefits from Edward Woodward's memorable characterisation of an unglamourous,seedy and brutish secret agent David Callan,helped and hindered by his even seedier sidekick,smelly petty crook Lonely,superbly played by Russell Hunter.Although not quite as good as the TV series,this film version is still very watchable and efficiently directed by Don Sharp,with a few interesting frisson's added,most notably Callan's ferocious disposal of a gangster's hit-man(played by Dave Prowse,later to become Darth Vader's physical form.As with Star Wars,Prowse's Bristol accent is dubbed over here as well)and the gangster's subsequent use for virtual human experimentation,which Callan observes to his disgust and horror.The series was always interesting for Callan's frequent clashes with his superiors,made more strident because of his working-class background;his colleagues were invariably upper middle-class,public schoolboys,as typified by the vindictive bully Toby Meres,played here by Peter Egan.Egan is adequate in the role but lacks the extra toughness,wit and humour provided by Anthony Valentine in the TV series(Peter Bowles played Meres in the pilot),and his boss 'Hunter',played in this film version by Eric Porter; the best 'Hunter' of all in the TV series was probably William Squire.

Many UK TV shows had film versions produced in the 1970's,mostly sitcoms like ON THE BUSES,LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR,MAN ABOUT THE HOUSE,etc. These and others were mostly dismal but CALLAN works far better despite having to add more footage from the original TV pilot,and works as a taut,terse and respectable film version of an excellent TV original.

RATING:6 and a half out of 10.