Released: November 1969

Directed By: Alvin Rakoff

Cast: Roger Moore, Claudie Lange, Martha Hyer, Alexis Kanner, Derek Francis, Ursula Howells. Bernard Lee.

I hadn’t planned on writing anything about Crossplot beyond my blurb on Twitter (I refuse to call it ‘X’) and Letterboxd, referring to the film ultimately as forgettable. However, a Twitter follower commented on my blurb thinking the movie poster and the plot looked interesting. I replied saying the plot was very Hitchcock-like and the film itself was very groovy. Now Crossplot is firmly lodged into my skull.

Roger Moore plays Fenn, Gary Fenn an ad exec, a sort of British version of Don Draper only Fenn actually exists in the 1960s. A Mister Everyman, as far as ad execs go, caught up in a web of intrigue culminating in political assassination. The plot is way more complicated than it needs to be, so I’m not even going there, but it moves at a brisk pace, so it isn’t dull.

For a film that is reliant on action scenes, they are clumsy and poorly done. The climax features some pretty shoddy bluescreen, rear projection effects that makes you wonder if the producers ran out of money before they shot the scene but filmed it anyway. One action scene, however, is fun and involves a vintage roadster, driven by Fenn, being chased by a helicopter. The sequence is quite well done and only gets better when a guy with a machine gun dangles in a harness from the helicopter trying to gun down Fenn and his friends. The roadster rips and tears, literally, through the English countryside as dangling harness guy fires like any good henchman would, but continually misses. I wonder why?

Anyway, the climax of the sequence involves a miniature helicopter, a miniature dangling harness guy with a machine gun, and miniature power lines. It is a treat. The scene was shot by Gerry Andersons’ miniature effects team, and it’s well done as well as hilarious.

My other take away from Crossplot is that the film is carried by Roger Moore’s undeniable charm. The man had enough charm for two more guys, and if any other actor played Gary Fenn Crossplot would be nothing. The film is after all coming off Roger Moore’s huge success as Simon Templar in The Saint TV series, and just before he would become James Bond in Live and Let Die. Thankfully, he’s neitherTemplar or Bond, but just as…well…charming. So, it’s hard to dislike the film.

That’s an important point. I didn’t dislike Crossplot, it just isn’t that memorable. It’s a rehash of North by Northwest with sloppy action scenes, heavy use of poorly done bluescreen rear projection, carried entirely by the charm of Roger Moore. And that’s about it. Okay, it’s made during the swinging sixties, in the advertising and modeling world, so yea man, it’s pretty groovy. And remember, Roger Moore is very charming in this movie. I know I won’t forget.

Crossplot is streaming on Tubi for a limited time. And is on the YouTube.