Sven-Bertil Taube is terrible as colourless agent tracking down heroin in Amsterdam, aided by useless Barbara Parkins, unhelpful Alexander Knox and sidekick Patrick Allen. It's always great to see Vladek Sheybal, and a speedboat chase through the canals (directed by Don Sharp) without any back projection is the film's highlight. The brief bit of nudity I remember from seeing it on TV was removed to get a PG rating in the US, though leaving in a nasty moment when a man has his glasses smashed into his eye - stupid Americans. The topless barmaids sequence has been preserved on the Scorpion DVD extras, for completionists among us.
Smuggling ideas (bibles, dolls, fobs) are natty as is plot's twists. Lots of Amsterdam footage is almost a picture postcard tour. Jack Hildyard on camera does something very impressive right at the front, where an assassin walks into a country house.
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