Crossplot (film)



Crossplot is a 1969 film starring Roger Moore. Belgian actress Claudie Lange was also featured in her largest English-speaking role. Bernard Lee, famous for his role as M in the James Bond films, also appeared.

Plot
Roger Moore is Gary Fenn, a talent scout for a London modeling agency who finds the perfect target and calculates the events which mean that only one girl will be good enough for his bosses, a Hungarian Marla Kugash (Lange). He finds her among the anti-war movement in the bohemian depths of swinging London. She is in the company of a young man, Tarquin, who is extremely protective of her and overtly aggressive to Fenn.

The young Hungarian, an illegal refugee from her native homeland, accompanies Fenn to a photoshoot. However she admits she is in fear of her life, and seems disturbed by the presence of her aunt. When she is nearly killed, the girl drops out of sight and Fenn has to go on the run himself, suspected of a separate murder. He locates her to a country house, which turns out to be the home of Tarquin, an aristocrat in spite of his anti-war sentiments.

It is revealed that Marla's aunt is part of a shadowy organisation trying to destabilise the existing world order so they can take over themselves. They will go to any length to try and shut Fenn and Marla up, including sending a helicopter after them. Fenn and his friend manage to escape to London, where they realise that the shadowy movement are planning to assassinate a visiting African head of state in Hyde Park. They manage to foil the plot.

Cast

 * Roger Moore as Gary Fenn
 * Martha Hyer as Jo Grinling
 * Alexis Kanner as Tarquin
 * Claudie Lange as Marla Kugash
 * Derek Francis as Sir Charles Moberley
 * Ursula Howells as Maggi Thwaites
 * Bernard Lee as Chilmore
 * Francis Matthews as Ruddock
 * Dudley Sutton as Warren
 * Mona Bruce as Myrna
 * Veronica Carlson as Dinah
 * Michael Culver as Jim
 * Gabrielle Drake as Celia
 * Tim Preece as Sebastian
 * Norman Eshley as Athol
 * Michael Robbins as Garage Attendant
 * John Barrard as Wedding Guest

David Prowse of later Star Wars fame has a cameo as the best man at a wedding in the film.

Reception
The film is not particularly well regarded by critics. One suggested that the film quickly became "tedious" in spite of the numerous action sequences, and the plot was far too "convoluted" and "confusing". Another critic called it "dull", "unsuccessfully trying to emulate the feel of a Bond film" and it was also compared to feeling like an extended episode of The Saint. It is now seen largely as a dry-run for the Bond role Roger Moore would take on four years later. Crossplot currently holds an average two and a half star rating (4.9/10) on IMDb.