A Dandy in Aspic (1968)

(On Cable TV, December 2022) You can see how dour Cold War spy thriller A Dandy in Aspic has many of the elements that could have made it a success—a blend of neo-noir pessimism, Swingin’ Sixties aesthetics, spy game hall-of-mirror intrigue, a few decent quotes, picturesque London/Berlin locations and a decent cast. (Laurence Harvey, Tom Courtenay, Mia Farrow.) Much of the story revolves around a British secret agent asked to take down a Soviet spy… who is actually himself. But the result is far less involving than it should have been. Part of it is a common pitfall with espionage thrillers desperately wanting to keep audiences guessing: there are so many crosses and double-crosses that very little of it feels significant. Absent a solid centre, audiences disengage quickly when the lead may or may not be someone in which it’s worth investing emotional stakes. Then there’s the murky aesthetics anticipating far bleaker 1970s thrillers: For something that should be fun (or at least engrossing) with striking characters that may not be honest or sane, A Dandy in Aspic works overtime to make everything feel like a chore to watch. The decision to adopt a more serious tone doesn’t quite match the wild plotting shenanigans, and it’s worth noting that veteran director Anthony Mann died during the making of the film—could exhaustion have been a contributing factor to the film’s lack of energy and underwhelming climax? There’s clearly a layer of compelling execution missing from the film that takes away from what should have been significantly better.