It has zippy music, attractive locations and Camilla Sparv as an affable boytoy, but that world is not enough. Hits all the action man buttons of the 60s, race car driver, MI6, spy, playboy, and on. But he's not Bond and not Harry Palmer, and therein lies the problem. Stephen Boyd miscast so the tone of the movie was not dark enough to sustain strong interest. The ending was good as she plays both Scott and Harris off each other and gets both of them, and her cohorts, out of the spy game. A better script would have concealed then revealed complex betrayals and alliances and, perhaps, who Sparv really worked for and to what purpose. Forty or so years later Casino Royale got it right.

Some loving close-ups of Camilla Sparv's exquisite face, and location filming on the German Alps (in the first half) and London (in the second) are the main assets of this overly meandering, often tedious spy thriller. Genre devotees will probably enjoy the old-school spy gimmicks (microfilms hidden under plasters, messages written with invisible ink, etc.), but the film bogs down too much with the Boyd-Sparv romance, and the story seems to start after the first 30 minutes. It ends with two big plot twists, but these seem to be added just for the sake of a downbeat conclusion. Leo McKern, as the nominal villain of the story, gives the most memorable performance. ** out of 4.

Stephen Boyd made several films during the mid-to late 60's, which all seem to have "slick" plots in which he portrays a wealthy, sophisticated, cosmopolitan character sporting perfectly coiffed hair. Neither the hairstyle nor the roles seemed to suit him well, and I'll bet he was vastly relieved to switch to westerns like Shalako and The Man Called Noon in the '70's. Assignment K, however, is probably the best of the "smooth hair" movies. He's a international spy in this one and a lot of the action takes place in a ski resort so the scenery is beautiful and wintry. He and Camilla Sparv play well together and, best of all for Stephen Boyd fans like me, he is on-screen throughout the entire film, no cameos here - a major plus for this movie. Leo McKern, another wonderful character actor, turns up once again as the bad guy. (Remember him as the irascible, but lovable Captain Brandt in Lisa?) Assignment K is fairly fast-paced and somewhat exciting, especially if you enjoy a little romance with your espionage. And the ending will surprise you!

Quick paced film, good interplay between Camila Sparv and Stephen Boyd. Nice location especially the scenes at the Ski resort and the "search for the blue wine". Not too overhanded with the espionage...always one of my favorites, back to when I first saw it on a double bill(remember those) with King Kong Escapes.The theme song was always memorable...jazzy and you almost expected Sparv and Boyd to hook up at the end, but it was not to be. Would like to see the film on video tape.