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assassination bureau

I saw this movie years ago for the first time. I am a big fan of Dianna Rigg. Just the kind of "tongue in cheek" humor I like.

Review of The AB LTD

I received the DVD in a timely fashion and it was in excellent condition - would order from this person again.

When Eating, Be Wary Of Exploding Sausages!

The basic premise of this movie is that there is a secret organization of assassins that are hard at work plying their trade throughout Europe doing what they do best, but the story is soooooo much more than that.

The central characters in this movie are played by Oliver Reed as the leader of the "Assassination Bureau" and Diana Rigg as the nosy reporter who hires Reed to assassinate himself. Telly Savalas plays a dual role of sorts as the owner of a newspaper and, the second in command at the "Assassination Bureau."

Upon accepting Rigg's request, Reed orders the other members of the "Assassination Bureau" to make every conceivable attempt to kill him. For if they don't, he will surely kill them. This makes for some very interesting shenanigans which take place throughout the movie.

Rigg tags along with Reed in an effort to record his exploits and those of the other men (and women) who are attempting to kill him.

This movie is very well done and quite enjoyable to watch. The actors all do a commendable job and work quite well together. I highly recommend that you watch this movie as the satirical humor in it is quite funny.

Shawn Kovacich
Connoisseur of Fine and Not-So-Fine Movies

A Great Movie - Little-Seen

"The Assassination Bureau" was an unfinished novel from the pen of Jack London. Another writer took London's outline and finished it and several years later it became this fun movie starring Oliver Reed, Diana Rigg, and Telly Savalas, released in 1969 by Paramount Pictures. The movie deviates a little from the book, but all-in-all, both are equally enjoyable. The British director, Basil Dearden, was one of the more interesting directors working in the UK from the late 40s through the late 60s. Many of his films were social dramas which dealt with taboo subjects like race ("Sapphire") and homosexuality ("Victim") way before they were acceptable topics. But he also made films in most of the genres out there. This one and his 1965 spy spoof, "Masquerade," starring Cliff Robertson & Jack Hawkins, are light, breezy and just fun to watch. It is too bad the MGM/UA hasn't put that one out yet for home entertainment.

Oh how I wish we had such a Bureau today!

This is a simple silly movie about a fictitious bureau that evaluates governing moguls and occasionally dispatches them when they misbehave. Telly Sevalas turns the bureau upon itself so as to eliminate the assassins and good governments thus benefitting his commercial interests. It's a race around Europe with the assassins and Sevalas in pursuit of Reed and Rigg. R & R use subterfuge to dispatch Sevalas and put the Bureau back on track.

"Virtue, it seems, has been rewarded." "Well, really!"

This is one of my four favorite late 60's comedies that I used to make a point of watching for and watching again and again every time they were shown on TV. "The Assassination Bureau" is based on the unfinished Jack London novel, The Assassination Bureau, Ltd. (Twentieth-Century Classics), posthumously completed by Robert L. Fish with the assistance of London's and his wife's notes. London had basically written himself into a corner, which Fish only did a marginal job of extricating the novel from. The movie is MUCH better.

In a subtly altered pre-WWI Europe, would-be journalist Miss Sonya Winter (a cool as a cucumber Diana Rigg) has a plan for how to get a job in her male-dominated chosen field: do a story exposing a secret organization of assassins for hire AND destroy said organization by taking advantage of its policy of guaranteeing that the target will be killed upon presentation of sufficient justification and prepayment of the fee. Newspaper publisher Lord Bostwick (Telly Savalas) agrees to back her plan which is to put out a contract on the chairman of the organization, Ivan Dragomiloff (Oliver Reed at his oiliest). Dragomiloff himself accepts the commission in part because he believes his aging colleagues and friends of his late father the founder have degenerated into amoral killers for the sake of money, effectively challenging them all to a duel.

Doesn't sound like much of a comedy, does it? Yet it is relentlessly, hysterically funny! Diana Rigg's icy coolness is the perfect counterpoint to Oliver Reed's smoldering unctuousness, and Telly Savalas is dead solid perfect. Some of film's finest character actors round out the cast of assassins, including Curd Jurgens as the manic General von Pinck. The dialog is witty and full of understated hilarity, and the verbal sparring between Miss Winter and Dragomiloff is particularly choice as she follows him across Europe to "report on his... whatever happens to him." A frenetic score, gorgeous sets and costumes, unexpected twists and turns during the dash across Europe, and somewhat dated special effects round out the effort. If you've never seen it, you owe yourself at least a rental of this all but forgotten gem.

Note: Though produced from a clear, crisp print, this widescreen DVD is about as bare bones as you can get. No extras of any kind -- just scene selection and English subtitles, which helped me pick up a few things I'd missed due to thick accents despite my multitudinous TV viewings over the years. At this price though, it is worth every penny.

Amusing Caper

"The Assassination Bureau" has an amusing premise and for the most part executes it ably enough. Oliver Reed stars as the head of a consortium of international assassins who takes on an interesting assignment. Crusading reporter Diana Rigg contracts his organization to kill him. Reed takes up this proposal because he feels that it will enable him to weed out the weaknesses in the organization. Assistant Chairman Telly Savalas has other ideas, however. The film starts off well enough, has kind of a clunky midsection. This portion of the film feels more slapsticky than darkly comic. The film recovers and delivers a slam-bang ending. Oliver Reed is charismatically suave as Ivan, the head of the Bureau. Savalas and Curt Jurgens as a German associate are sublimely villainous. Diana Rigg, however, isn't given much to do as Miss Winters. The high point for her in this film is a scene where she is required to walk around in a bath towel. Not classic comedy but not a bad way to wile away a few hours.

DIANA AND TELLY - TOGETHER AGAIN

1969 was a good year for the inimitable Diana Rigg and the ubiquitous at that time Telly Savalas. They appeared together in the essential James Bond "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" and in this little-seen but wonderfully done "Assassination Bureau."

Dame Diana was an icon of the late sixties, having charmed us for three years as Emma Peel in the exquisite AVENGERS TV series. After leaving the series, Rigg appeared in these two movies and also in George C. Scott's "The Hospital" and Vincent Price's "Theater of Blood." Cooly beautiful, unassumedly British and elegant, Diana Rigg became one of our most underappreciated screen presences.
Her buoyant performance as the feminist Sarah Winters in this film is delightful; never has she appeared so coy and kittenish as in this role. The also underappreciated Oliver Reed is dashing as the hero/villain, and of course, Savalas is triumphant as the quinessential villain. Add Curt Jurgens in a delightfully daffy role as a crazy German and you have a delightful drawing room black comedy. The special effects for a late sixties movie are predictably shoddy, but this is like watching one of those delightful Jules Verne movies---it doesn't matter, the cast is so good. Definitely a minor classic.

Zeppelins, bombs, and bordellos, oh my...

The Assassination Bureau (1969), directed by Basil Deardon, is a wonderfully funny dark comedy, full of suave, sophisticated characters, lush settings, and wry humor, the kind we just don't see made anymore as it treats its' audience with intelligence and respect while not being too smart for its' own good, as opposed to many comedies of the present that focus on toilet humor, foul language, and just the general need to try and be a gross as possible, dumbing things down as much as possible for the broadest audience. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to be a film snob as I like most all kinds of movies, but I just wish along with what we have, we could also have more films along the lines of this one.

The film stars a very handsome Oliver Reed and the exceptionally beautiful Diana Rigg as Ivan Dragomiloff and Miss Winter, respectively. The story, set in what seems to be early 20th century, begins with Miss Winter desires to gain employment within a newspaper, one own by Lord Bostwick, played by Telly Savalas (Who loves ya, baby?). Her method for getting her foot in the door comes in the form of information she's uncovered about a mysterious international organization of hitmen, secretly called The Assassination Bureau, Limited, that takes commissions to execute people for money. Bostwick agrees to hire her, and in order to get a better handle on the story, she makes contact with the group, with the purpose to commission them to do a killing for her. She meets Ivan, and requests that he be the target. Ivan, who inherited his position and the company from his father, is of the idealistic sort, and sees this as a real opportunity to not only test his organization, but to strengthen the idealistic principles which his father brought forth when he started the bureau, as Ivan feels the current bureau has become to focused on the monetary gains from their lucrative business. He accepts Miss Winter's commission, and presents it to the board, and soon the challenge begins. Ivan must survive against some of the world's most deadly killers, taking them out before they do him in...with Miss Winters in tow, as she follows the story for her newspaper. Will the bureau be successful? Or will Ivan manage to elude his own murder, one which he accepted a commission for himself? I'm not going to tell, but I will say it's worth watching to find out. There's actually a lot more within the plot that I didn't detail, as I didn't want to give too much away for those who haven't seen the film.

As I said, the movie is a lot of fun and very enjoyable. Reed is especially charming and witty, and the chemistry between him and Diana Rigg's character comes through in nearly every scene they appear. Both actors bring a natural sophistication to their characters that just a real treat to watch. The film has the overall feel of a really well done comedy thriller with plenty of twists and turns to keep the viewer on his/her feet. The supporting cast did an excellent job, and there seemed to be a strong effort to choose suitable actors to fill out the international cast of characters. While the story was complex, yet easy to follow, some of the relationships between the characters seemed a little light, but this was such a minor nitpick to me, given the films strengths. Also, great attention was given to the look and feel of the scenes and the wardrobe, and also the scenes shot on location, as to convey a sense of the time period during which the film takes place. Speaking of place, the film travels from England throughout Europe, visiting countries like Switzerland, Germany, Italy, to name a few, providing a wonderful, lush, adventurous backdrop to an interesting story. One of the things I really liked about the movie that the story sticks to its' plot, offering little in the way of diversions that only cause the viewer to be removed from the film. The pacing may slow a bit at some points, but it does move along at a comfortable, even pace. While some elements may be predictable, I found overall that the story appeared to original and engaging. The special effects in the film will appear extremely obvious, but given when the film was made, this was about the level one could expect. I would say just go along with it, and appreciate the movie as a whole, and forgo focusing too much on these elements. Also, when is the last time you saw a zeppelin in a movie? Okay, maybe that not so entertaining James Bond flick A View to a Kill (1985), but this film is much better.

The wide screen print provided on this DVD looks exceptional, providing a clear and crisp image that really shows of the vibrant and beautiful colors throughout the film, especially highlighting the finer details of the costuming (I don't usually notice the costuming within a film, unless it's really off base or the film is a presenting a certain period in time. This particular period just happened to include colorful, elaborate, and intricate costumes, which were, at least in my opinion, really well done). There is a noticeable absence of special features, even lacking the customary theatrical trailer, but there are English subtitles available, which I found handy at times as the accents within the film sometimes were a bit thick and not easily understood. I would have enjoyed a little more in the way of special features, but I really can't complain, as the film looks excellent.

Cookieman108

Fun, offbeat caper picture...

"The Assassination Bureau (Limited)" is a fine example of a late sixties comedy. Diana Rigg and Oliver Reed are joined by Telly Savalas in this turn-of-the-century romp through Europe.


Reed plays the chairman of a group of hitmen, set up along the same lines as a business concern. Reporter Rigg decides to take out a contract with Reed on the head of his own orginization; namely himself! Undaunted, Reed accepts in order to settle a philosophical debate that has plagued the board of directors. Reed believes in taking contracts only upon those who deserve it; other board members believe the ABL is a tool only for political power and monetary profit. By accepting the contract upon himself, Reed becomes a target for the board and at the same time the other board members become fair game for him!


The film is a bit slow-paced, but with tongue firmly planted in cheek. The film makes a semi-parody of political tensions just before the outbreak of the First World War, as the ABL board (sans Reed) longs to be the power behind the thrones of Europe.



Reed is excellent, as always, and Rigg does a variation of her famous Emma Peel character with pleasing results. Savalas is his usual menacing self, and Curt Jurgens is fun as a crazed German officer and ABL board member. There is also a great zeppelin sequence and zeppelin set, but the early chromakey matting for the special effects is only marginally effective.


Fun, offbeat picture that is worth viewing at least once.

James Bond, as written by Jules Verne

In Science Fiction Fandom this type of tale is called "steampunk", a term derived from "cyberpunk" and not entirely appropreate. Cyberpunk tends to be depressing, while steampunk is usually a romp. "The Wild Wild West" television show was steampunk (so was the movie, but who wants to remember THAT thing?). So were "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", and "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen". Where does "The Assassination Bureau" fit on this list? Well toward the top, of not at the very peak. The story is VERY loosely based on a peculiar short story of the same name by Jack London (lots of period Radical Politics, very little charm, and no Diana Rigg). Taking that as its starting point the film romps through double dealing in Edwardian London, rascality and raids in a period Parisian bordello, skullduggary and poisoning in Venice, the assassination of Benny Hill (in a bit part as a minor Balkan Prince), and ends with a duel and a bang.

Previously available only (so far as I know) on an EP videotape. A widescrean DVD almost HAS to represent an improvement. Is it greedy of me to hope that some commentary (by Rigg, perhaps) will be included? Probably.

In any case; one hell of a romp.

When spies were way cool!!!

Back in the pop culture-friendly 60's, the spy game flourished on the big screen. During that decade, one could take his/her pick of the adventures of James Bond, Derrick Flint, or Matt Helm. Even on the television, there was "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.", "The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.", "Honey West" (a private eye), "Amos Burke" (Gene Barry's former police chief turned secret agent), two classics starring Patrick McGoohan ("Secret Agent" and "The Prisoner"), "The Wild, Wild West", and the comic parody, "Get Smart".

This was also the time of the big-budgeted "chase" flick. Movies like "It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World", "The Great Race", and "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines".

Well, "The Assassination Bureau" has a little bit of them all: tongue-in-cheek humor; a casting coup with "The Avengers" Diana Rigg and Oliver Reed, fresh from "Women in Love"; a pre-"Kojak" Telly Savalas (who had also been featured in the James Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", along with Rigg); a rollicking score; and nifty special effects, especially the concluding battle on the airship.

In the words of that great statesman Austin Powers, "It's groovy, baby!"

very droll - fast paced and witty

Lively and quick-witted humor make this a really fun little movie to watch. I'll refrain from discussing the plot or scenes, because the less you know about it before watching, the better.

Oliver Reed, in a departure from the dark and menacing roles we usually see, is charming and debonair in this rather zany comedy. Diana Rigg is delightful (surely a little over-acting can be forgiven in a comedy?), and Telly Selvas surprisingly light touch is just right for his role.

The pace drops off a bit in the second half, and the comedy becomes broader and less subtle (yes, even slapstick as noted by another reviewer).

Still, taken as a whole, it's a clever, funny movie and very enjoyable.

The Assassination Bureau, Limited

I loved this movie as a boy thirty years ago and approached the video with some fear: would it be as enjoyable as I remembered it? No need to worry. The adult cringed a little at the pan-and-scan print, the crude editing, the overdone '60s shenanigans, and the incessant theme music. But the boy was as happy as ever. "The Assassination Bureau" is clever and witty, and the actors are clearly having a great time. Oliver Reed, normally a bit of a sourpuss, actually performs with humor and style for once. But the movie's greatest asset is Diana Rigg, the first actress I ever had a crush on. Maybe if you're a Baby Boomer like me, she'll always be the one for you. In this movie, as in the great neglected James Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," she is droll and sexy and somehow very moving, and in both she has a particularly funny rapport with villain Telly Savalas, barely containing her disgust for him. All in all, highly recommended.

Wonderful fun, with lots of tongue-in-cheek humor

This movie combines the best of English character actors with a riotous story of an "assasination corporation." The only unfortunate part is the implied sex scene between Diana Rigg and Oliver Reed in Venice -- his seduction of her isn't terribly romantic. But their byplay in the rest of the movie makes it worthwhile -- she's perfect as the ambitious suffragette fighting to get ahead. Telly Savalas makes a wonderful villain, and he and his henchmen (especially Curt Jurgens as the manic German assassin) are fun to watch. It's a great movie for the whole family (the sex scene isn't really) -- a British dark comedy handled by capable performers.

Tedious

A great cast are wasted in this perfect cure for insomnia. At first you may be attracted by the likes of Diana Rigg, Oliver Reed and Richard Attenborough but the slow, drawn out tale unfolds at a snail's pace. Well crafted with some nice sets but just painfully slow.

Jack London - An American Original With a "Jules Verne" Problem

Jack London was a phenomenal writer, who came up from poverty and turned out some amazing books. These include (but are not limited to) THE SEA WOLF, WHITE FANG, THE CALL OF THE WILD. London is usually brushed aside today as a "kids" author. The same idiocy that relegates Jules Verne to be a writer for children and ignores his savage comments on politics affects London. After you are encouraged (about eighth grade) to read THE CALL OF THE WILD, you are told that London is always writing about man and animals in Alaska in the Gold Rush of 1898, with an occasional look at an exciting sea story. Actually he's sharper than that: THE CALL OF THE WILD and WHITE FANG were his attempts to tell a story from an animals' point of view. THE SEA WOLF is his attempt to attack the prevalent socio-economic doctrine of the day (1900): Social Darwinism, as practiced by Captain Wolf Larsen. He wrote one of the first good novels about America under a dictatorship: THE IRON HEEL. He discussed his early life in MARTIN EDEN. He discussed his alcoholism in his book JOHN BARLEYCORN. He was the first American novelist of real international stature to embrace socialism! A reporter as well as writer, his experiences watching the Japanese government prevent him from carrying out his job during the Russo - Japanese War turned him into a perpetually hostile critic of Japan's goals in the Pacific (although, to be fair to the Japanese, London did show some racism here).Keeping this in mind, one realizes that THE ASSASSINATION BUREAU, LTD. has to be tackled differently from say THE CALL OF THE WILD or the short story TO BUILD A FIRE. London is looking with jaundice eye at the political system that had ruled Europe (and most of the world) since 1815 or so. It was oppressive and uneven, and even in the United States (probably the best major power to live in in terms of opportunity and social mobility) it was still badly flawed. Assassination had become a serious tool for trying to influence European affairs from 1881 to 1910 (when the novel was begun by London). Tsar Alexander II of Russia was blown to bits in 1881 by a Nihilist group called "The People's Will". Although it was captured and most of its members hanged, others copied it. Assassinations continued in Russia up to 1911 including Interior Grand Duke Serge in 1904,Minister Von Phleve in 1905, and Prime Minister Peter Stolypin in 1911. Elsewhere the other states suffered. Presidents Garfield and McKinley were assassinated in 1881 and 1901 (the latter by a self-proclaimed anarchist). President Sadi Carnot of France was stabbed to death in a public parade in 1894, in the middle of a series of anarchist attacks (including a bombing at the Chambre of Deputies). Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary, King Umberto I of Italy, the Prime Minister of Spain, King Carlos III of Portugal, were all killed. So were Lord Frederick Cavendish and Thomas Burke by Irish nationalists in Phoenix Park in 1882. Many smaller public figures were killed as well. The topic of an "assassination bureau" was timely - especially as some of these victims fit what the bureau decided: were the targets worthy of being assassinated.Of course not all of them were (Empress Elisabeth for example). But London's vision was not totally flawed. It was just that being a realist he knew that the "pure" idea of the bureau would be corrupted sooner or later. So his plot involves the head of this international bureau being offered a huge reward if he orders his own assassination. Note that Oliver Reed's character is a Russian, as though the author knew who was most likely to be the head of an assassination group.Probably due to other commitments London never finished the novel. Robert L. Fish, a successful mystery novelist, wrote a completion which was rather amusing. I tend to believe that was an error - London was seldom an amusing writer. The film treats the moral issue as a joke, and uses the characters as caricatures of the nations they represent (the doleful Russian, the gluttonous and sexually active Italian, the pragmatic Frenchmen who runs a bordello too, the English newspaper tycoon). These characters need good performers, and Philippe Noiret is on target as the bordello owner/assassin leader); and (although not Italian) Clive Revill is quite good as the Italian. The Russian (it's not Reed) is doleful, but hardly memorable. As for Lord Bostwick, Telly Savalas is not convincing as an English aristocrat (one can't even imagine him as a Canadian transplant to England, like Spencer Tracy in EDWARD, MY SON). Curt Jurgens' German assassination leader, General Von Pinck (the name suggested, perhaps, by his handiness with a sword) is either sadistically high-spirited or vicious: no other characteristics there.Diana Rigg, as the budding journalist who's first job is actually as a cats-paw for Savalas (her boss) is pretty good, but her performance as Vincent Price's daughter in THEATRE OF BLOOD was livelier. She seems determined to maintain her suffragette style dignity here no matter what. However it happens to work for the film. As for Reed, his straight villains were usually far better than his heroes. He appears to be too laid back at times. A bit more jittery behavior would have been better.One final point: One minor character, an Austrian nobleman marked for death, is killed when he cuts into a large knock-wurst (that has a bomb in it). This gag probably is not original but it was reused in the television movie MORE WILD WILD WEST with Jonathan Winters as the victim.

Sharp Funny Satire-Astounding Production Design

Have always loved this movie - an almost perfect combination of Victorian Toy-Store sets and costumes, dry, black humor with witty priceless dialog ("You're not an assassin, you're a critic!") Add the perfect cast..well, I personally think it's a minor classic. I could be wrong, but I think this the only time Oliver Reed had anything close to a traditional, dashing-leading-man role. Awesome Diana Rigg seemed to be channeling both Glynis Johns and Julie Andrews roles in "Mary Poppins" at the same time.Best of all, Michael Relph's production design...take a second and remember his incredible designs...the French bordello, the assassination bureau's meeting hall, the Zeppelin interiors...and I couldn't even stop humming the idiotic Faux-Henry Mancini theme song ("Life Is A Precious Thing") This may have been one of the last movies that you could apply the adjective "frothy fun" to.

Entertaining and pleasant.

This is the kind of movie made with care and respect for the audience:lavish sets,dazzling costumes,and a very attractive cast including Diana Rigg,Telly Savalas -both teamed for "on her majesty's secret service" the same year-,Philippe Noiret,Curd Jurgens and the sadly missed Oliver Reed.The screenplay is often full of wit and humor,with such lines as "if there's a war,people will kill each others for a penny,and we will have to shut up shop (our "assassination bureau").Actually the whole movie is a long chase through a chocolate-box Europa with a lot of traps,bombs and disguises.Diana Rigg's appearances run the whole gamut from a Victorian prude resembling Mary Poppins to a femme fatale,from a widow in deep mourning to a nun,she's astonishing.So does (and is )Oliver Reed,who plays some British Arsène Lupin.History is given a rough ride when Francis-Ferdinand is murdered in Vienna (instead of Sarajevo) but who cares?Best scene:Diana Rigg is alone in her hotel bedroom in Venice,Italy:she can hear a ticking.No,it's not the clock.So she rushes into her bathroom where a tap(faucet) is dripping.But when it's closed,the noise still remains.Is-it a bomb? .The brothel scene where Rigg is mistaken for a hooker is also great fun!Two movies made in the seventies might have been influenced by Basil Dearden's amusing comedy:Douglas's Hickox's "theater of blood" (1973) also starring Rigg- a treat that should not be missed-and Ted Kotcheff's "who's killing the great chefs of Europe?" (1978)-Jacqueline Bisset cooks a bombe glacée here-.The people who liked this movie could do worse than picking those delightful black comedies.

mildly interesting but also a bit dopey

I didn't dislike this film, but also found it to be very slight and very forgettable. In many ways, this film is highly reminiscent of the earlier film, THE GREAT RACE. Both are set in a similar time period, both feature a lot of over-the-top performances and both have a silly musical style about them (though the music in THE ASSASSINATION BUREAU was a lot more annoying--particularly the singing). The film does not take itself very seriously and as comedy, it almost hits the mark. I wonder, though, if this might have been a much more interesting film if it had been done as serious drama instead of kitsch. The basic plot of an international murder for hire organization is pretty intriguing. The problem is, this topic really had very little depth in the film as it was mostly played for laughs. I appreciate the effort, but it just didn't do much for me.