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Plot

A popular British comic strip series served as inspiration for this light-hearted espionage adventure, which if nothing else certainly shows the marks of its origins in the mid-1960s. A large departure for director Joseph Losey, better known for brooding interpretations of Harold Pinter works (The Servant, Accident), the film is emphatically bright and colorful, taking on at times a nearly psychedelic feel. The strangeness is emphasized by the unusual casting, including Italian star Monica Vitti in her first English-speaking role as the title character and Dirk Bogarde, playing against type as her arch-nemesis. Essentially everything is played for its camp value, including the rather convoluted, James Bond-like plot, which concerns the hijacking of a shipment of diamonds heading for the Middle East. Like its mod-era sets and costumes, this unusual, inconsistent effort is certainly intriguing and attractive, but might seem rather dated to some.
MPAA Rating:
R
Genre(s):
Comedy,Crime and Mystery,Drama,Thriller
Run Time:
120min.
Theatrical Release Date:
06/26/2002
DVD Release Date:
07/16/2002
Distributor(s):
20th Century Fox
Director(s):
Themes:
Jewel Theft
Tone:
Quirky,Slick,Stylized
Keywords:
comic-book,comic-strip,con/scam,detective,investigation,opal,private-detective
Language:
English