Agency (1980)

After the questionable suicide of a co-worker (Saul Rubinek), a Madison Avenue advertising executive (Lee Majors) becomes suspicious of the new boss (Robert Mitchum) who has recently acquired the company. Based on the novel by Paul Gottlieb and directed by George Kaczender. A rather wan conspiracy thriller with an intriguing storyline but the screenplay is a botch. A good conspiracy thriller (think THE PARALLAX VIEW or THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR) should keep you unsettled and on the edge of your seat. But the inadequacies in this movie draw attention to the loopholes and silly dialogue. Lee Majors is one of those actors who seems just fine in TV roles but lackluster when he's on the big screen and quite simply, he's just not believable as a Madison Avenue hotshot. Mitchum coasts along in the movie (it's a paycheck job) but he's Robert Mitchum and he can afford to do that. I've not read Gottlieb's novel but I suspect this could use a remake with stronger talent involved. With Valerie Perrine and Jonathan Welsh.