Good story, Not enough for a whole film

best movie i've ever seen.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Interesting plot, but the movie is marred by an over-stretched middle. Airplane pilot Rex (Harvey) is outraged by insurance company refusal to payoff his accident even though their refusal is his own fault. So he contrives his death for an even bigger payoff, and then absconds to southern Spain with the money and wife Stella (Remick). Unfortunately, insurance man Stephen (Bates) suddenly shows up at their Spanish hotel, claiming he's quit the insurance business and has a new job. However, is he telling the truth or is he actually investigating Rex's scam while undercover.Finding out Stephen's true status creates considerable interest. He acts so ingenuous that it's hard to think he's hiding anything. But then, can it be just coincidence that he turns up so soon in the same place as the insurance scammers. Then too, the big payoff money has changed Rex's personality for the worse, and now Stella's losing affection for him. Besides, Stephen's so nice, she's beginning to feel an attraction. But shouldn't she be careful since his winning personality may simply be the false front of a clever insurance investigator. Things do get complicated, but the central question remains— is Stephen really the nice ex-insurance guy he appears to be.Now, I think the movie handles this device quite effectively down to the rather ambiguous ending. To me, the balance of evidence indicates Stephen is in fact who he says he is. But since the movie leaves that central question with no definitive resolution, it's still possible to take him as an undercover investigator the whole time. Thus, the movie leaves you with a few points to ponder.My one complaint is with the drawn-out cat and mouse between Rex and Stephen as Rex tries to determine who Stephen really is. It goes on too long and is too talky and static. That middle part badly needs tightening up. Probably, the producers wanted to get their money's worth out of the Gibraltar location and all the local color, like the bullring. Then too, Harvey was just a couple of years past his Oscar drawing power for Room at the Top (1959). So his part is likely padded. One thing for sure, he's very good at being dislikable; at the same time Remick is very good at being sweetly myopic.All in all, it's a good movie that holds interest, plus leaving a few points to consider afterward, even if director Carol Reed is not up to top form.

This was shown recently on Channel 4.I always liked Lee Remick so i thought that i would give it a go.What a clinker.A ridiculous script full of coincidences and perhaps one of the worst performances ever by a leading man in a British film by Laurence Harvey.Just listen to his supposed Aussie accent when he is impersonating the sheep farmer.It goes from oz to Mayfair and back again in a trice.He looks like he has just come out of an ad for suntan lotion.He obviously fancied himself!Alan Bates turns up in Malaga.Why most people at the time had never heard of the place let alone been there.I would suggest that you give this one a miss.

For those who resent paying their insurance premiums--and who amongst us doesn't--there is Carol Reed's The Running Man, not to be confused with the Arnold Schwarzinator film of the same name. The always dapper but much too thin Laurence Harvey stars as Rex Black, a professional pilot whose insurance claim is turned down by frosty Allan Cuthbertson due to coverage that expired two days prior to an accident. Enraged, Harvey and wife (played by an icily beautiful Lee Remick) launch a scheme to bilk the insurance company of a very large sum of money. Unfortunately, claims adjustor Alan Bates is on the job to complicate matters for the felonious couple. John Mortimer's screenplay is a bit flat and frankly unbelievable at times, but the superb cast more than makes up for it. The film, shot in colour and on location in Spain, looks gorgeous, but Encore is airing a pan-and-scan print that severely compromises the original Panavision framing. At least this print retains a widescreen credits sequence, which features some superb work by Bond main man Maurice Binder.

A bitter airline pilot fakes his own death and gets his wife to collect the money. They escape to sunny Europe after committing a perfect crime. But, of course, there's always the dogged investigator to make things difficult. This movie is a good afternoon's diversion. It's bright, flashy and pacey. With John Mortimer writing and Carol Reed directing, it has a certain touch of class. It's not an A list movie by any means, but a quick look in any reference book will tell you that it's well respected. Good performances, bright locations and a decent pace make this well worth a look.