I watched "The Manipulator" as part of my ongoing quest to see as many of Sylva Koscina's movies (especially the action / spy / crime ones) as possible. I probably shouldn't have bothered: she has a fairly thankless role in this film, despite her second billing. But top-billed Stephen Boyd is not the star, either: that title should go the the little known Michael Kirner, who plays a singer / stuntman / judo expert (!), but is a bit too much of a goofball to be taken very seriously. There is one very good high-speed car chase somewhere in the middle, but the rest of the action is pretty crudely directed. And there isn't too much of it. As a travelogue of South Africa (what a coincidence, the 2010 Football World Cup started there today!), the movie works. As an action thriller, it is boring. *1/2 out of 4.

This movie is one of the most entertaining I've ever seen. The plot, as can be determined by the other reviews, takes numerous twists and turns, and is enjoyable. What makes this movie so amazing though, are the performances turned out by two of the actors, Michael Kirner as the heroic "Rex Maynard", and Lorenz Schultz who is the mysterious character only known as "Murrays Agent". Mr. Kirner is by far the greatest "everyman" hero in movie history. His way of approaching and coping with every obstacle thrown at him in this movie make all other action heroes seem like absurd bad comic book figures in comparison. You cannot help but be swept inside Rex's head and experience his ordeal firsthand...a truly remarkable performance.Lorenz Schultz plays the menacing, brooding bearded figure "Murrays Agent", who is a chilling shadow that stalks Rex at airports and speedways, and delivers mysterious phone messages to Rex's lovely wife, Linda. Not a major character but one played so effectively that he will remain locked in your head for weeks after seeing this. I admit I even kept thinking he was somehow out there, watching me too.... scary! The rest of the cast also shines, a testimony to director Fred Wilson, but also to the writer, Mr. Ralph Anders (why his work is not standard material in college lit. courses is beyond me). This movie is not easy to find, but is well worth the hunt for lovers of cinema.

After completing 13 Television Spectaculars, Rex Maynard, a Sinatra like singer, goes on vacation. He also decides to elope with his producer's daughter to Africa! Stephen Boyd, the producer, stages a fake kidnapping to scare Rex off from his daughter and make publicity for his television spectaculars. All is under control until Rex Maynard, who was also a former stuntman, escapes, using his Stuntman Skills. But the coast of South Africa isn't clear yet! REAL kidnappers decide to grab Rex and it gets out of control! Then we find out who Rex can trust and can't trust. Even his wife is involved some how. But can the Manipulator manipulate the situation to save the day? Who doesn't want to be Rex Maynard? Michael Kirner gives a very realistic performance as a man who's been kidnapped many times in one day. Stephen Boyd is great as The Manipulator. I'm only sorry to see this series did not take off. It would be great to see him put his Stuntman/singer through more adventure. There are lots of side stories going on to keep the characters fresh and add depth to the story.Beautiful locations in South Africa. Great music with, "Man, You Need A Hand" and other songs. The soundtrack would be a great addition to any collection. Very rarely does a movie have an impact on my life, but this one did.This is a very hard film to find and I'm lucky a friend taped in by accident. This was made back to back with 'The Big Game', but they are not related, just the same film crew. If you get a chance, check this film out! The real title of this film is 'The Manipulator'. The Mickey Rooney film came out at the same time and they were forced to change the title.

The guy who was a star in "Ben Hur" finds himself in this awful spy drama. I realize that much of it is dubbed from the Italian, but the dialogue is laughable, the characters are wooden and stupid. There is a bunch of judo and karate that looks silly. I'm sure that this emerged out of the James Bond era, but this has nothing to recommend it. The bad guys want money, and somehow they don't have to do much other than ask for it. Then there's the insipid byplay between the newlyweds. Thank God they married each other so they wouldn't bore anyone else to death. This film was part of a collection. Sometimes, it seems, the compilers of these sets must get really desperate. Anyway, the resolution is unsatisfying. There is no real direction, just random action. Watch an old sixties/seventies spy show and you will have a much better time.