A series of apparently random accidents over several years are actually planned murders. A retired British intelligence agent (George C. Scott) begins to investigate the killings after given a list by Adrian Messenger (John Merivale) of the victims but, alas, Messenger himself becomes a victim. This B&W mystery shot in Ireland finds John Huston in a playful mood, apparently enjoying himself dipping into Agatha Christie territory. The film is burdened by an annoying gimmick however. Several well known actors are heavily disguised through out the film and part of the supposed fun is for the audience to decipher who they are playing. The film is a cheat in this regard however. While some actors (Kirk Douglas and Robert Mitchum, for example) are instantly recognizable even under the heavy make up others have their voice dubbed (like Frank Sinatra) to throw us off the scent and some (like Burt Lancaster) obviously didn't play the character they're credited with. But, Scott's lousy English accent aside, the other actors do quite well and the mystery is quite clever and there's a spirited Jerry Goldsmith score. The large cast includes Tony Curtis, Dana Wynter, Herbert Marshall, Gladys Cooper, Clive Brook, Marcel Dalio and the unappealing dullard, Jacques Roux.
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