Midas Run (1969)

A British secret service agent (Fred Astaire) is near retirement. But before he leaves the service, he devises an elaborate heist of 15 million in gold. For this, he recruits two accomplices: an American writer (Richard Crenna) and a beautiful woman (Anne Heywood). Directed by Alf Kjellin, this is a rather dreary example of the international heist caper which was quite popular in the 1960s (THE ITALIAN JOB, BIGGEST BUNDLE OF THEM ALL, TOPKAPI etc.). Putting aside the fact that Astaire doesn't come across as remotely British (he doesn't even attempt an accent), there's very little glamour or excitement. The Italian locations (particularly Venice) are striking but that's about it. There's a particularly ghastly sex scene between Crenna and Heywood with lush music courtesy of Elmer Bernstein superimposed with images of ocean waves and red flowers as Heywood has an orgasm. Heywood gained quite a bit of notoriety with a sex scene in THE FOX the previous year so I suppose the film makers thought it was de rigeur. I had a particular problem with the double crossing of some of the other accomplices in the robbery who were doing their stealing in good faith. With Ralph Richardson, Roddy McDowall, Adolfo Celi and Jacques Sernas.