Best movie of this year hands down!

Too much of everything

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Considering that "Maroc 7" has an overall IMDb score of 4.6, I sure expected it to be a bad film. While in theory, a 5.0 would indicate an average film, here on IMDb the number is probably closer to 6.5--and 4.6 strongly indicates BAD. But, I was surprised--the film was actually a decent little film--not a work of genius but well worth seeing.The film begins with a guy, Simon Grant (Gene Barry) approaching a woman (Cyd Charisse) who owns a studio that photographs pretty models. He's come to tell her he KNOWS her secret--that she is a world-class thief AND that he's planning on coming with her on her next caper. This takes her and her groups of models to Morocco. But WHAT is the item she plans to steal? And how much do the ladies and their photographer know? And, just who is Grant--who is he working for and what is HIS motivation? While not a brilliant caper film, it is nice and benefits from nice scenery and pretty ladies. It's interesting and well worth your time--especially if you are in the mood for a bit of escapism.

Loaded with pretty girls, exotic locations, and double-crosses, "Maroc 7" keeps your attention, but never builds too much excitement. Despite being filmed on location in Morocco, the cinematography makes the picture look cheap (or maybe I just watched a bad print), and the director has the bad habit of filming his "big" scenes in near-complete darkness, making it a pain to try and see what's going on. The male lead, Gene Barry, is a bit too old and a bit too smarmy for his "smooth ladies' man" role, but Alexandra Stewart is simply gorgeous and Elsa Martinelli is not far behind. The 60's were certainly a great decade for screen babes, and there is perhaps no other genre demonstrating that point more clearly than these spy capers. (**)

Three things stand out in this film. The filming on location - including interior scenes, the Moroccan desert, and the wonderful 1960s fashions/hairstyles. An enjoyable film only marred by the weak storyline and implausible ending. I wish that more films would make use of real locations for interior scenes. Actually seeing the real world out of the hotel room window, hearing the echo in voices due to being in a small room, genuine ambient background sound - all these ingredients help to 'put you there'. If this film had been made in the mid 70s or later it would be completely forgettable. But being made in the swinging 60s gives it something... Worth a look.

This is no masterpiece, but it's not as bad as I was expecting. The story is quite compelling and you have to stay watching to see how it all turns out - an outcome you certainly can not guess because these characters have more guises than the Mission Impossible 2 team! Good if you like these types of 60s British films, or if you're just a curious Cyd Charisse fan. Though she's not playing a beautiful young dancer, but a still beautiful and still very young-looking fashion editor, who doubles as a jewel thief in her spare time.