James Coburn (gaunt, and with a thick mustache) plays an American diplomat and future adviser to the US President who needs his former life as a secret agent permanently scrubbed; unfortunately, he has four acquaintances in London (a civil servant, a prostitute, a thuggish masseur and a scientist doing research on a device that kills with a high-frequency sound) who know too much about his past. He orchestrates a plan to have the four unwittingly eliminate each other, though a sideline romance with former-flame and uptight writer Lee Grant might be his undoing. Very clever thriller from screenwriters Barry Levinson (who also produced) and Jonathan Lynn, adapting Mort W. Elkind's book "Internecine", though it does take a while to get this plot into motion (and involves a great deal of telephone ringing). Director Ken Hughes is attracted to intricate details and technicalities, but a snappy pace doesn't seem to be his thing. At least one of the killings (with the victim in the shower) is especially ungainly, however the film isn't terribly violent or bloody--Hughes and his writers are more interested in plot development than circumstance. Good performances all around, including Grant as the lover. Grant matches up well with Coburn, and she has a funny, natural reaction when he tells her she should be working on something more her speed--a cookbook. **1/2 from ****

I am going on with the ordeal of discovering all the bad movies Roy Budd scored. Here James Coburn has to cope with a much lower budget (and fewer talented people) than Michael Caine in The Marseille Contract or The Black Windmill. It shows, painfully.How would such a linear protracted flimsy story make it into a movie script in the first place? The premise, that is the whole movie, is in the title. A clumsy prologue and epilogue are tacked to the project's storyline which actually would have been OK as a tongue-in-cheek 50-minute Avengers episode. Instead they go for a dead serious 70s dark conspiracy flick with nothing mysterious or hidden in it. Nothing makes sense, so director Ken Hughes is at a loss for tension. Never mind suspense.The actors did OK though, quite a feat with such dull material.

This is a fantastic 1970's thriller set in England staring James Coburn in one of his best roles as Robert Elliot, an economics expert who is doing a little dirty work on the side for the US government. The motive of industrial espionage is interesting and this movie unlike most similarly plotted movies of the time does not focus on cold war paranoia. When presented with an opportunity to progress in his role as a government fixer he is required to completely detach himself from the network of low level spies he has recruited. Unfortunately for them this means they all have to be killed. The clever script has Coburn arrange for all his contacts to murder each other. As none of them know each other he is able to play on their various fears and weaknesses to coax, cajole and blackmail them into submission. His elaborate plan involves strict timing with each of the the victims phoning Coburn at set times over the duration of one evening while he sits in his office ticking off the preplanned murder sequence he has typed up. Of course the plan doesn't quite work out and the film ends with a superb twist.The only fault i have with the movie is the presence of Lee Grant. Her character (as a journalist) is introduced to show that she once had a relationship with Coburns character, that they still have feelings for each other and that he once may have been a more wholesome person before becoming corrupted. However her characters continual interjections as she investigates Elliot only serve to slow down the story.DVD releases in both the UK and the US have failed to do this movie justice even the most recent "special edition". The low number of reviews posted reflects the relative obscurity of a movie that deserves a wider audience.

I'm amazed that THE INTERNECINE PROJECT has received less than 100 votes . I saw it a couple of times in the early 1980s and despite not seeing it for almost 25 years it's still lodged in my mind as being a clever thriller . Perhaps I shall never watch it in case it's not as good as I remember . The plot centres around former secret agent Robert Elliot ( Played suavely by James Coburn in one of his best roles) gaining a White House promotion , just the first step in a long and successful political career . There's just one thing and that is there's several people who know about Elliot's past and Elliot can't allow his dirty secrets to be revealed by anyone I won't reveal the plot but it's smart and there's a twist at the end . But for me the best part of the movie is where Elliot visits the home of military veteran Albert Parsons played by Harry Andrews . Parsons and his collection of cats warmly greet Elliot , but it's obvious by his mannerism that Elliot has something on his mind : " We've got a problem " " A problem sir ? " asks Parsons " It's to do with a woman " Parsons is shocked " A WOMAN SIR ? " Elliot rubs his chin and studies Albert " She's a sort of high class whore " By now Parsons is having convulsions and spitting his hatred " THEY'RE ALL WHORES THE WHOLE LOT OF THEM , YOU CAN'T TRUST ANY THEM SIR , NOT ANY OF THEM " Hmmm I wonder if Albert Parsons is a repressed homosexual ?