In 1970s and 1980s thriller novels by Robert Ludlum enjoyed great success due to winning combination of pulp, some real life political issues and complex decades-long conspiracies as crucial element of the content. The byzantine plots, on the other hand, proved difficult for adaptation into feature films. One such example is The Holcroft Covenant, 1985 film directed by John Frankenheimer.
The plot, based on the eponymous novel, has a prologue set in Berlin at the very end of Second World War. Three Nazi generals kill themselves, but not before they have sent a mysterious package to Geneva in neutral Switzerland. The protagonist is Noel Holcroft (played by Michael Caine), New York architect whose biological father happened to be one of those three generals. Four decades after the war he is called to Geneva by Swiss banker Manfredi (played by Michel Lonsdale) who informs him that three generals apparently had epiphany near the end and, disgusted with Holocaust and other crimes, amassed huge fortune which was to be used in order to make amends. According to the last will and testament, Noel is to take control of the funds, which had grown to value of 4.5 billion US$, and, together with children of other two generals, use it to various charitable causes. Getting in touch with those individuals, however, proves to be difficult because some of them take great pains to hide their identity. Holcroft soon learns that they have good reason for this, because he becomes target of mysterious assassins. As he tries to survive and solve the mystery, he is unsure whether he is tracked by Neo-Nazis or by secret organisation dedicated to prevent creation of Fourth Reich by any cost.
Frankenheimer, at first glance, looked like a perfect director for adaptation of Ludlum’s novel. Two decades earlier he had managed turn extremely complicated novel by Richard Condon into The Manchurian Candidate, not only his best film but also one of the undisputed classics in the genre of political thriller. Unfortunately, his work here is burdened by incredibly inept script Edward Anhalt, George Axelrod and John Hopkins that makes the complicated plot incomprehensible for the average audience. Their attempt to hide the identity of true villain through the series of uninspired red herrings is even worse. Frankenheimer, apparently aware of the problems with content, attempts to compensate it with style and many of the shots are made from unusual angles, but in the end it all looks too pretentious and “artsy”. Same can be said for the prolonged sequence depicting erotic carnival on the streets of West Berlin, which was apparently Frankenheimer’s lame attempt to spice the film with some Weimar era vibes.
The only element of the film that works is Michael Caine, who did his acting job splendidly despite, according to his own statements, not having any idea what the plot was about before coming to set. Caine’s work looks even more impressive in the light of the fact that has replaced James Caan on the set. He plays his role well, in good Hitchcockian tradition of “ordinary man in extraordinary situation” and audience might even ignore the fact that his character, despite being described as New Yorker, speaks with noticeable Cockney accent. Lilli Palmer, veteran German actress and Classic Hollywood star, also does good job as Holcroft’s sceptical mother in what would ultimately be her last role. Victoria Tennant, who plays protagonist’s love interest, doesn’t have much of a chemistry with Caine, while Anthony Andrews as film’s main villain gets burdened by bad-looking moustache and even worse dialogue lines. Mario Adorf is also terribly miscast as orchestra conductor, although his character inadvertently functions well as some sort of comic relief. The Holcroft Covenant is at times interesting, but mostly disappointing film that could be recommended only to fans of Michael Caine.
RATING: 4/10 (++)
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