While I wouldn’t call myself a Charles Bronson fan, I have enjoyed many of his movies thanks to the directors he has worked with. He worked with one of my favorite directors, Don Siegel, only once. That movie was this one, TELEFON, and it’s one that I can watch again and again because it is so well made. Don Siegel (1912-1991) began his career at Warner Brothers in the 1940s as an editor. One of the movies he worked on was CASABLANCA, teaming him with another of my favorite directors, Michael Curtiz.
Siegel is best remembered today for his 5 Clint Eastwood movies (including DIRTY HARRY) and for the original 1956 version of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS . As befits an editor, his best movies are those involving action and TELEFON is no exception. Other key movies of his to check out (without Eastwood) are RIOT IN CELL BLOCK 11 (1954), Elvis Presley’s best film FLAMING STAR (1960), THE KILLERS (1964), MADIGAN (1968), CHARLEY VARRICK (1973) and John Wayne’s last movie THE SHOOTIST (1976).
TELEFON, based on a novel by Walter Wager, tells the unlikely story of covert Soviet agents who have been brainwashed to commit sabotage when triggered by a key phrase that comes from a Robert Frost poem. The agents believe themselves to be Americans and have long been living ordinary lives until a rogue Russian bureaucrat steals the book containing their names and revives their long buried assignments by means of a telephone call. A KGB major and his American operative try to stop him.
As Major Borzov, Charles Bronson reprises his usual persona, that of a man of action who uses few words. He is totally believable here as he looks the part and his voice fits the character as well. He is ably assisted by Lee Remick who is to accompany him and then kill him once the mission is completed. Tyne Daly shines as a CIA computer geek (check out the 1977 computers) and Patrick Magee is great as a Russian general but the film belongs to Donald Pleasance as the rogue Russian who hopes to trigger World War 3.
TELEFON is one of those movies whose sole purpose is to entertain. Although the Soviet Union is no longer a reality, the idea of Russian subterfuge still is. The film resembles a MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE episode with its far fetched plot elements and the precision execution in carrying them out. For years the film has been unavailable on DVD but it finally was released by Warner Archive in 2018. The print is very good (with some splice marks) and it does come with subtitles. Great movie..no, great fun…YES.
The Capsule Critic 