Scorpio

Michael Winner's Scorpio (1973) came just as the spy genre morphed into anti-government conspiracy thrillers. It's a remarkably turgid film, notable only for its top-flight cast.

Aging CIA spook Cross (Burt Lancaster) is planning to retire, but the Company suspects him of treachery. They task Cross's reluctant protégé Jean (Alain Delon) with killing him. But Jean proves lackadaisical in pursuing Cross, while the latter winds up in Vienna with Zharkov (Paul Scofield), a high-ranking Russian spy.

Scorpio is a mess. For all its twists the plot is a dud, the story unengaging and characters nonsensical. David Rintel and Gerald Wilson's script mixes clichéd tough guy dialogue ("We can't all miss!") with reams of stultifying exposition. Even with so much explanation Scorpio never clicks: the opening assassination seems unconnected with anything else, Jean drifts aimlessly through the story while Cross's motives are unintelligible. The pervasive cynicism and "shocking" payoff falter in a movie completely lacking in dramatic tension.

Hack director Michael Winner matches boring disquisitions with poorly-staged action. A gunfight/chase through a construction yard is particularly insipid, resulting in one of cinema's dumbest explosions. The movie's sole highpoints are the scenes with Cross and Zharkov, two old-school warriors with a shared past and professional appreciation.

Burt Lancaster and Alain Delon seem bored, evincing no conviction in their silly characters. Paul Scofield's crafty Russian injects some much-needed life into the show. John Colicos (Anne of the Thousand Days), J.D. Cannon (Cool Hand Luke) and Vladek Sheybal (The Wind and the Lion) have peripheral roles.

Scorpio is an empty-headed thriller that confuses incoherence with intelligence. With so many great spy flicks out there, it's best consigned to the burn bag.