2023 marks the 50th anniversary of Michael Winner’s Cold War spy thriller SCORPIO and it’s just as engaging now as it was when it was first released back in 1973. Director Winner (1935-2013) earned more than his share of critical brickbats during his career thanks primarily to having directed the controversial DEATH WISH (and 2 sequels) with Charles Bronson but his movies have aged well and are even more entertaining now as they are excellent time capsules of the 1970s in addition to being fun to watch thanks to his use of big name stars.
SCORPIO stars Burt Lancaster as Noah Cross, an aging CIA operative who wants out before discovering that the agency wants him dead (“I want Cross burned” says his boss). They hire French assassin Alain Delon,”Scorpio”, to do the job even though it was Lancaster who trained him. While on the run, Cross hides out in Vienna where his old Soviet adversary Zharkov (Paul Scofield) provides him with sanctuary. What happens next is a cat and mouse game between hunter and the hunted. When Cross’ wife is killed before he can get her out of America, he returns to the U.S. to get revenge.
One of the factors that make Michael Winner’s movies so entetaining is that he always shot on location which in this case means Washington D.C., (he actually got to shoot inside CIA headquarters), Paris, and Vienna. He also was able to get good performances from his actors and SCORPIO reunites Lancaster with his THE TRAIN co-star Paul Scofield (A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS). Their scenes together in a safe house in Vienna are a joy to behold. Delon is solid along with John Colicos and J.D. Cannon as the CIA head honchos. Joanne Linville is touching and effective as Burt’s wife.
Lancaster was 60 years old when he made this movie and was still capable of performing his own stunts. A contemporary reviewer stated it made him feel young again to see Burt leaving his pursuers in the dust. The film was released at the same time as Watergate, making its cynical take on espionage especially appropriate. The movie did OK at the box office but was not a big success. SCORPIO has grown in stature over the years and is one of those movies that can be seen more than once and still keep your interest thanks to a great script and good performances.
The Capsule Critic 