The Assassination Bureau (1969) – Film Review

Director: Basil Dearden
Cast: Oliver Reed, Diana Rigg, Telly Savalas
Certificate: PG

By Sarah Morgan

Bombs, intrigue, sexy shenanigans and two stars at the height of their powers – how could The Assassination Bureau be anything but a surefire hit?

Sadly, despite all those elements, it was not a box office success when it was initially released in 1969. However, in the decades since, its reputation has grown somewhat and it’s now a cult classic.

A new Blu-ray limited edition will hopefully introduce it to a new audience too, and although for the most part it looks fabulous, with vivid colours and a sharp picture, no amount of restoration work will ever improve the shoddy ‘special’ effects. However, if you can ignore the terrible back projection work, you’re in for a winner.

“Charming and charismatic”

The aforementioned two stars are Oliver Reed (who appears to be having the time of his life) and Doncaster lass Diana Rigg; she was hot property after quitting The Avengers the year before and was about to play the woman who tamed James Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service alongside George Lazenby.

Here she takes the role of Sonya Winter, an aspiring journalist in 1908 London. She is investigating the Assassination Bureau, a secret international organisation whose members carry out the murders of high-flying VIPs, providing the price is right.

Reed is Ivan Dragomilov, the Bureau’s charming and charismatic leader who is somewhat bemused by Sonya’s request – he himself is her designated target. He accepts the task and challenges the other members to kill him. What they don’t realise is that he plans to use the plot to get rid of some of the dead wood within his organisation by bumping them off first.

Meanwhile, Sonya and Dragomilov find themselves growing increasingly attracted to each other during a plot that sees them travel across Europe, a journey culminating in a showdown in a zeppelin hovering above a castle in which the continent’s rulers have gathered for an important meeting.

“Handled well”

The entire romp is a lot of fun (although that fact that Rigg is largely missing from the exciting finale is a bit of a shame), enlivened by an impressive supporting cast that includes Kenneth Griffith, Curd Jurgens, Telly Savalas, Beryl Reid and Jess Conrad.

The whole production is handled well by producer/screenwriter Michael Relph and his regular directing partner Basil Dearden. The duo are now best known for making social awareness dramas such as Victim, The Man Upstairs and Sapphire, so it’s rather pleasant to see them letting their hair down.

It’s the kind of film that could only have been made at the tail end of the 1960s thanks to its style; it echoes some of the fashions of the time, which were inspired by the Edwardian period. Its mix of black comedy and adventure fits the tone of the time too, so it’s rather interesting to hear cultural historian Matthew Sweet explore the reasons why it failed at the box office during one of the disc’s special features.

Sarah Morgan( Writer )

Sarah Morgan studied film journalism at post-graduate level with the BFI and has been writing about TV and film for PA Media’s newspaper, magazine and new media customers since 1996. She’s also written for a wide range of other publications, both online and in print, including the book Offbeat and Intermission magazine, and is a regular contributor to the Talking Pictures TV podcast. When she isn’t watching movies, she’s collecting and reading vintage crime and horror paperback books or, for her sins, watching her beloved Sheffield Wednesday.

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