Some loving close-ups of Camilla Sparv's exquisite face, and location filming on the German Alps (in the first half) and London (in the second) are the main assets of this overly meandering, often tedious spy thriller. Genre devotees will probably enjoy the old-school spy gimmicks (microfilms hidden under plasters, messages written with invisible ink, etc.), but the film bogs down too much with the Boyd-Sparv romance, and the story seems to start after the first 30 minutes. It ends with two big plot twists, but these seem to be added just for the sake of a downbeat conclusion. Leo McKern, as the nominal villain of the story, gives the most memorable performance. ** out of 4.
Review of Assignment K
