Assignment K (1968)

The head (Stephen Boyd) of an elite British spy ring uses being the head of a prestigious international toy company as his cover. But when his cover is blown and his girlfriend (Camilla Sparv) is kidnapped, he must find a way to save her yet keep valuable information away from his foes. Directed by Val Guest (DAY THE EARTH CAUGHT FIRE), this is a typical 1960s spy thriller. Overly complicated and set against a glamorous international backdrop. In this case, England, Austria and Germany. It's an inoffensive bit of spy caper that keeps it close to the bone (it runs a little over an hour and a half) and while not memorable, it doesn't insult your intelligence either. Well ..... almost. The score by Basil Kirchin is rather melodic and tuneful on its own but used inappropriately in the film. For example, after the girlfriend is kidnapped, our hero is distraught but the soundtrack plays what sounds like samba dance music! And no, it's not source music but the underscore. With Michael Redgrave, Leo McKern, Jeremy Kemp, Jane Merrow, Robert Hoffman and Werner Peters.