User reviews

The direction is antiquated (long, boring conversations between two people in underlit offices, as the camera switches from a close-up of one person to a close-up of the other, and so on), and the script is confusing (though it clears up a bit on the second viewing). However, the film is saved EXCLUSIVELY by its cast, and especially by the star chemistry between Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier; the few scenes they share together are the best in the film. Caine pulls off a terrific Russian accent, too. (**)

Michael Caine and Sir Laurence Olivier are involved in this routine movie (probably rent was due and the fellows were late on payment) which is completely useless. A former British spy who betrayed his own country is sent back from Russia on a mission. But suddenly (well, not so suddenly) the story twists to an unexpected (well, not so unexpected) ending. No actor seems to be interested in what is happening and the Italian dub (above all Olivier) is rather poor. The plot makes little sense and . If you look for a spy movie with Michael Caine, watch "The Ipcress File" or "The fourth protocol",instead. They would be a very much better choice.

This movie is interesting. It is very hard to follow, but after seeing it two or three times, it comes. A very well defined star-studded cast but the movie is not what you'd expect it to be. Other than that, this movie would be good to watch if you like action, politics or just want to kill time.

Made after some of the best spy drama movies, including the TV adaptation of Le Carre's Smiley's People, you have to wonder how they got it so wrong. And with Michael Caine, Olivier and Charles Gray! And with the director of the grittiest early Bond movies! It was totally ridiculous as a story and as a film, but also hugely endearing to a Brit who has lived in Asia for over 25 years. I got the same pleasure watching this as I did in seeing the sets wobble in "The Builders" episode of Fawlty Towers. The whole thing wobbled, especially the acting. Oliver's mention of the leather chair to Michael Medwin was the only finely delivered line.

A very dull film is the only way of describing this tale of spies and defectors, plastic surgery and double dealing, during the Cold War. Michael Caine plays the rejuvenated spy who returns to his homeland, and his former friend and sparring partner, head of M15 (a truly appalling Laurence Olivier), at the same time reviving his relationship with his pouting daughter Penny (Susan George) who is having a fling with a secret service man (Robert Powell), who is surviving attempts to kill him by ... well, who knows?

With fruity support from Charles Gray and Michael Medwin and an awful script delivered in poor accents (Caine's Russian has to be heard to be believed) 'The Jigsaw Man' becomes a bit of a joke.

It is watchable, but is really a load of old rubbish dressed up in London locations and with some semblance of a plot.

I had seen a documentary about espionage a couple of weeks before seeing this film on TV by chance and i found it simply amusing. The parallels between the film character Philip Kimberly and Kim Philby of real life are too many for this to be just a coincidence (not to mention the name of the film character which seems itself to be some anagram of Kim Philby).

All in all this is a nice film if you like espionage with a little comedy on the side. As for the comment of the other reviewer about the film being hard to follow: i didn't think it was THAT hard to follow. Besides, this being an espionage movie, if it wasn't a teensy bit hard to follow what would be the fun in it?

Every great actor must have at least ONE on the CV they would not want anyone to find out about and for the likes of Caine and Olivier, ( I STILL cannot believe they were in this!), this is IT. Lacks EVERYTHING: pace, style, excitement, camera work, plot, score etc. etc. Unlike my REAL pet hates, such as John Wayne's "The Green Berets", I cannot even get really excited enough to hate this turkey, but just regard it in the way you would a really boring and unsatisfactory meal in a third rate restaurant - something you have gone through, but will never repeat by returning. Regard this film in the same way or, even better, save two hours of your life by doing something better than recording this when it is shown at 1.30a.m. on Channel Zog, (for I cannot imagine any other way you are going to get to see it), and wasting the time to view it later.

Frequently castigated, unjustly condemned to bargain bin DVD hell, I wish to plead for clemency, since, Terence Young's stolid cold war espionage yarn is certainly not without modest value. The workmanlike, le Carré-lite text is greatly enlivened by, John 'Psychomania' Cameron's funky, propulsive score and some colourful performances. While many of The Jigsaw Man's pieces fit, Michael Caine's risible Russian Accent provided some unintentional hilarity! I adored, Laurence Olivier's irascible, deliciously expletive, Admirable John Scaith, and, Charles Grey is on urbanely menacing form, oozing his signature reptilian charm as duplicitous Sir James Chorley. No lost classic, at best, Terence Young's watchable time killer is a guilty pleasure, but a demonstrative pleasure nonetheless! It would be remiss of me if I failed to mention the conspicuously jocular training montage, wherein a stout-looking, Michael Caine is unconvincingly turned into deadly Karate Chopping KGB double agent,Kuzminsky!

Michael Caine and Sir Laurence Olivier are involved in this routine movie (probably rent was due and the fellows were late on payment) which is completely useless. A former British spy who betrayed his own country is sent back from Russia on a mission. But suddenly (well, not so suddenly) the story twists to an unexpected (well, not so unexpected) ending. No actor seems to be interested in what is happening and the Italian dub (above all Olivier) is rather poor. The plot makes little sense and . If you look for a spy movie with Michael Caine, watch "The Ipcress File" or "The fourth protocol",instead. They would be a very much better choice.

So long as you are aware that you're about to watch a truly terrible terrible movie, you can sit back and enjoy the full extent of its absolute awfulness! Michael Caine doing some incredibly bad accents whilst karate chopping people to death with a single blow (he even manages to render a policeman unconscious by tripping him up!), Susan George being her usual am-dram hammy self, Robert Powell portraying the world's poshest policeman, and Lawrence Olivier either grumbling and gesticulating melodramatically or pausing abruptly because he's forgotten his next line. And who could blame him?! Everyone has been asked to utter dialogue so monumentally bad it has to be heard to be believed! After the highly amusing car chase climax, Caine suddenly turns philosopher and decides that "War is bad" - classic stuff! Everything about this film is bad, the script, the sets, the acting, the accents, the direction, the editing, the stunts, even the music's awful! But badness of this magnitude should be celebrated and enjoyed for what it is, and for this reason I have given this magnificent mess a 10 star rating! The only puzzle about this jigsaw is how it ever got to see the light of day!

Some heavy hitters in this one... Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier. Spy thrillah. Caine is Kimberley, sent back to England by the Soviets. with a somewhat plausible story of why he's back. interesting, how they worked the story of actual german spy klaus fuchs into the story; he passed valuable info to the soviets and germans during WW II. Olivier is Admiral Scaith, trying to track down the facts. my favorite Olivier role is Rebecca. it's an awesome film, if you haven't seen it. Eric Severeid plays himself! lots of talking. some action. but not much. mostly more talking about why Kimberly is really back. there's a clever hiding place inside the church. and he actually changes his hair color. oooohhh. some action near the end... but mostly blah. not anyone's best work. directed by Terence Young. had done a whole bunch of James Bond films. he did Jigsaw right at the end of his career. novel by Dorothea Bennett, who just HAPPENED to be married to the director.

I saw this movie with my girlfriend, now wife, in 1984. Being the only two people in the theater on the second day of the movie should have given us a clue but that fact only really made sense when we left the theater 45 minutes later, well before the end. Expecting a decent thriller, Michael Caine worthy, we couldn't grasp the fact that this movie made it into the cinema in the first place! Of course I was 20 year younger then and i have seen some very, very bad movies since but none of them made the impression "The Jigsaw Man" did! Since that day my wife and I qualify bad, boring movies as "Even The Jigsaw Man was better". This movie has played a major part in our movie-viewing life for the last 20 years as THE "Bad Movie Benchmark".

Sir Philip Kimberley is a former M16 intelligent general who defected to the Russians in the 70s, returns back to his home country after faking his death. He receives plastic surgery on his face, so he could go into England to pick up very important documents that he has hidden which has KGB agents working in England. Knowing that the British thinks his dead, he escapes the KGB men and defects back to the British as a Russian spy. He goes on to basically play each other off, in the hope he can pick up a large amount of doe and go on to live a new life, along with his daughter.

"The Jigsaw Man" is pretty much a fundamental Cold War thriller, which feels clammy and looks like a cheap b-grade spy film. The routine material (taken off Dorothea Bennett's novel) wants to be crafty with many plot tricks involving double crossings, disguises, ever-changing accents and secret documents. But with these aspects, there's just too much restraint and haggard developments in what is mainly a story and dialogue driven outing. You'll need these elements to be strong and convincing, but a stated script completely drags and spits out some bawdy lines. The serious nature of it, can come across quite laughable and ludicrous. While the chunky plot offers a labyrinth of turns, it can be meandering and vapid in many shady situations. These twisty developments running through the story are well organised, but never in a astute manner. Thrills are minimal, but the elaborately taut layout breaks out for an action flourish towards the latter end. Even then, the minor pockets of get-up-and-go just can't break the slumber for too long. Terence Young's pedestrian direction seems to go missing in very long spells, but Freddie Francis' polished photography and John Cameron's steamily leeching music score doesn't follow the same fate. The cast is an excellent one. Michael Caine is decent enough, even though it's not quite an inspired performance and provides nothing more then a sour-face. Laurence Olivier provides class, but again he's left with not too much on offer. One very underrated Robert Powell gives a reliably understated turn and Susan George is sparklingly potent in her supporting role.

Incredibly patchy and at times hollow, but still a sturdy espionage thriller. The main problem is that it lingers about in too many chewy sequences then really getting on with it.

A British espionage drama; A story about a former head of the British Secret Service, a defector who is given plastic surgery and sent back to UK by the KGB to retrieve some vital documents. A gritty thriller but poorly produced which traded on a well-worn formula of spies, moles, double agents, defections, betrayed lovers and the long, cold war. The story dodders along after some flabby story exposition, convoluted plot, with an overly garrulous dialogue running alongside. The pace is so brisk that it gives it an almost farcical feel. The story is clear enough to follow, but truncation of several of the subplots give the impression that the director was trying to preserve too much of the source material. Michael Caine's Russian accent is risible and Laurence Olivier occasionally chews up the scenery to give it some pulse.

The first portion of this film looked pretty good and the set-up was nice. A British double-agent who sold out to the Soviets is being readied by his Russian handlers for a new assignment. After performing extensive plastic surgery on Philip Kimberly (Michael Caine...at least it's him post-surgery), they're returning him to Britain for a mission. What it was and why the Brits ALSO want to make a deal with him, well, you'll have to see to that yourself if you decide to watch this subpar spy yarn.

When I say 'subpar', this came as a huge surprise to me, as Michael Caine played in many spy films....and most of them were amazingly good. This one, in contrast, was confusing and Caine's accent was all wrong when he was pretending to be a Russian KGB agent. I think Danny Trejo sounds more Russian than Caine did in the film. The other main problem is that the film is very confusing and hard to believe...such as when the car just blows up when it's shot once. Cars really do NOT do that! Overall, watchable but really not a very good spy flick.

Philip Kimberly, gotta love it! I get the title now. Scrambled real life historical people's names. Possible remake of Sleuth? Same adversaries. Either way it might be entertaining to British spy film audiences. Michael Caine was good as Harry Palmer and I even hoped a 4th film would be made. Olivier is giving his talent to a banal production, and this is the only thing keeping me casually interested. The time could be better spent with The Good Shepherd, or if you want Brit spooks try Richard Burton, my favorite.

Two of british film history's greatest actors in the lead, and an incredible, suspensful script in an old-fashioned spy thriller? What could possibly go wrong?

Nothing, to say the least. This film is incredible, and it is a joy to watch both of the aformentioned gentlemen in some of their best roles throughout their long careers, they, along with the rest of the cast, plays off each other beautifully.

Besides the acting and the script, the movie is just overall beautifully put together- in terms of both shooting, cutting and editing. The cinematography just flows incredible.

Without a doubt one of the best spy thrillers and films showcasing two legendary actors. Give it a watch if you haven't!

The story revolves around a top British spy named Philip Kimberley who defected to Russia. The Russians give him plastic surgery and he comes out looking like Michael Caine (poor guy). They want him to return to England and locate some microfilm he had hidden that details all the payments to British double agents. Once back in his home country, he makes a break for it and contacts his daughter (Susan George) and old boss (Laurence Olivier).

I was in the mood for a good spy thriller so I dug out this VHS. After watching it, I'm still in the mood for a good spy thriller. The film is based on a book by Dorothea Bennett, who used real life Brit double agent Kim Philby as inspiration. Despite such ripe real life material and the re-teaming of the stellar Sleuth (1972) co-stars Caine and Olivier, this film is a bit of a mess. It runs pretty short (end credits kick in at the 85 minute mark) and several scenes show Olivier sporting a fake beard to match other scenes. Looked it up in Variety and, sure enough, it suffered major production issues. It started shooting in April 1982 but production was suspended on June 7, 1982 due to financial woes. The filmmakers didn't get back together to finish everything until November 1982. Former Bond director Terence Young is at the helm, but even he can't make it too exciting. Even glorious cinematographer Freddie Francis can't muster up enough good stuff for this. It is filled with lots of double crosses and the like, but they can't make up for strange bits like Charles Gray giving Robert Powell a monologue about his toupees, Caine doing bizarre Russian and American accents, or the montage of dumpy Caine training to be a bad ass killer.

I am gobsmacked that the likes of Michael Caine, Laurence Olivier and Robert Powell ever involved themselves in a movie of this quality. There are simply no areas that make it worth watching apart from the train wreck aspect. The storyline never draws you into the characters and you honestly couldn't care less about any of them. The audio quality makes it sound like it was recorded in your old school assembly hall. Caine's character is supposed to be this utter genius and chess master of espionage who asks his daughter what do women use to change the colour of their hair? This scene summed up the entire fascile nature of the movie. Honestly, it has the quality of a matinee soap opera; truly abysmal, but if you do decide to brave it do so in the same frame of mind as when looking at a B rate movie, ready to laugh at the ineptitude.

The movie starts with a scene in Russia, (though it was filmed on the main Market Square in Helsinki, FInland), stars Sergei Kuzminsky or Philip Kimberly (Michael Caine) a former head of British secret service, who had defected to the Soviet Union. One day, he receives some surprising instructions; as the double agent is sent back to take a list of Soviet agents which he hid there many years before , as he's to go back surreptitiously to the West. After having plastic surgery to alter his appearance, he is put back on the western side. When he accomplishes his goal, he thinks his handlers won't need him anymore. So, with the documents in his possession, rather than returning to the East, and possible assassination, he instead plays one side off against the other KGB agents and against Mi6 (Laurence Olivier); meantime Philip Kimberley finds his stranged daughter Penelopé (Susan George) who initially does not recognize him.

It is a mediocre film with little action, dealing with a twisted intrigue with thrills, crosses and double-crosses. There is excessive dialogue with not much action and a twisted plot but the final results will be boring and tiring. The cast is great but really wasted, that's because some of the greatest British actors play without much conviction in a bland intrigue. Michael Caine is acceptable playing in his usual style as a MI6 defector has his appearance altered by the K. G. B and is sent back to Britain to retrieve top-secret documents. British defector Philip Kimberley nicely played by Sir Michael Caine was based on the double agent Kim Philby , and there's remarks about Burgess, Philby, and McLean spies. This Jigsaw Man was Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier's fourth, final and worst movie together, affer Battle of Britain, Sleuth, and A Bridge Too Far. They're well accompanied by a good support cast with full of familiar faces, such as: Susan George, Robert Powell, Charles Gray, Michael Medwin, Sabine Sun, Vladek Sheybal, Peter Burton, Anthony Dawson and David Kelly. Based on the same real life events as other films dealing with defector spies and traitors, such as: Another county (1984), Cambridge spies (2003), History in Faces: Cambridge Five (2011), A Question of Attribution (1991), Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story (2002), An Englishman Abroad (1983), The Falcon and the Snowman (1985), The Mole (2011), Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy (1979), Blade on the Feather (1980), Blunt (1987), Traitor (1971) and influenced the source novels of The Fourth Protocol (1987), The Innocent (1993). The flick belongs to spies sub-genre developed during ¨Cold war¨ and its maxim representations are John LeCarre's novels rendered to cinema in movies as ¨The spy who came in from cold¨ (by Martin Ritt with Richard Burton) , ¨The Kremlin Letter¨(John Huston with Nigel Green), ¨Russia House¨(Fred Schepisi with Sean Connery), and ¨The Tailor of Panama¨(John Boorman with Pierce Brosnan), these films get similar atmosphere and twisted intrigues about spies among East and West World, but with no relation to spies from James Bond novels by Ian Fleming .

Production was halted while filming in Ireland , as producer Mahmud Sipra was bankruptcy due to lack of funds. The motion picture was middlingly directed by Terence Young, containing a lot of flaws, gaps, shortcomings and predictibility . Terence was an uneven craftsman who realized three of the first four James Bond films , as ¨Dr No¨, ¨From Russia with love¨ and ¨Thunderball¨, such successful blockbusters were hard to continue , though he attempted in search of more box office hits . His biggest film was , beyond doubt , ¨Wait in dark¨ with Audrey Hepburn and Richard Crenna . However , his last period was largely unsuccessful , full of failures and duds as ¨Amazons¨ , ¨Klansman¨ , ¨Blood line¨, ¨ Inchon¨, ¨Jigsaw man¨, ¨Takeover¨ , though some action scenes remained undiluted . Rating: 4.5/10. Average, only for hardcore fans of Sir Michael Caine and Sir Laurence Olivier.

This is probably the worst film I've ever seen. Though it seems to be a thriller, I spent the first twenty minutes of it thinking it was a comedy à la Leslie Nielsen; then I realised it didn't mean to be funny. The lines give the word "poor" a new sense. Cheap. I watched it on a coach trip, and contributed to make the trip rather miserable.