Man On A String (1960)

A Hollywood film producer (Ernest Borgnine), who was born in the Soviet Union is suspected of being a Russian spy by a government intelligence agency in Washington D.C. In order to clear himself, he volunteers to become a double agent and go to East Germany. Based on the non fiction book MY TEN YEARRS AS A COUNTERSPY by Boris Morros and Charles Samuels and directed by Andre De Toth (HOUSE OF WAX). Although based on a true story, this Cold War espionage film comes across as contrived. It's not as realistic as, say, THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD but neither is it much of a thriller like the Bond films are. It dutifully goes through its paces without any style. The movie's producer is Louis de Rochemont who is most known for his docu-drama films like HOUSE ON 92ND STREET (1945), 13 RUE MADELEINE (1947) and BOOMERANG (1947) but by 1960 that style of movie making didn't seem as innovative as it did in the 1940s and the lackluster screenplay doesn't help. With Colleen Dewhurst, Kerwin Mathews, Alexander Scourby, Glenn Corbett and Eve McVeagh.