Scorpio, the killer

Movie
German title	Scorpio, the killer
Original title	Scorpio
Country of production	United States
original language	English
Publishing year	1973
length	110 minutes
Age rating	FSK 16
Rod
Director	Michael Winner
script	David W. Rintels , Gerald Wilson
production	Walter Mirisch
music	Jerry Fielding
camera	Robert Paynter
cut	Michael Winner
occupation
Burt Lancaster : Cross Alain Delon : Jean Laurier Paul Scofield : Sergei Zharkov John Colicos : McLeod Gayle Hunnicutt : Susan JD Cannon : Filchock Joanne Linville : Sarah Cross Mel Stewart : Pick Vladek Sheybal : Zemetkin James Sikking : Harris Mary Maude : Anne Jack Colvin : Thief Burke Byrnes : Morrison William Smithers : Mitchell Shmuel Rodensky : Long Celeste Yarnall : Helen Thomas

Scorpio, the killer ( Scorpio ) is an American action film from Michael Winner from the year 1973 .

action

Cross kills people who are uncomfortable for the US government on behalf of the CIA . He often works with the French Jean Laurier, whom he trains to be his pupil and who operates under the code name Scorpio .

One day, the CIA chief McLeod decides that Cross should be eliminated himself. Cross escapes Washington to Europe, but his wife is killed. Cross seeks help from the Soviet agent Sergei Zharkov, whom he knows, and with whom he meets in Vienna. This makes him suspect of being a defector . Laurier is now assigned to Cross and finally tracks him down in Vienna. After a spectacular chase on the underground construction site at Karlsplatz , Cross shakes off Laurier and returns to Washington to avenge the death of his wife. He shoots McLeod in a bogus traffic accident.

The order of the CIA to liquidate Cross still exists for Laurier. He can finally put his teacher, whom he followed to the USA, in an underground car park and shoots him. This is all the easier for him when he realized that Cross had been playing the wrong game with him for a long time.

In the last scene, Laurier can be seen bending over to stroke a cat. From a car across the street, a man puts a silenced pistol on him and pulls the trigger.

criticism

Roger Ebert wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times that the relationship between Cross and Laurier is reminiscent of the relationship between the characters played by Charles Bronson and Jan-Michael Vincent in the film Cold Breath by the same director. In this film, Bronson plays an older killer whom the killer played by Vincent is supposed to kill. Scorpio, the killer , contains numerous action scenes that “maybe” are too numerous. He is best in the scenes where the characters talk to each other. However, the film contains too many characters and twists.

The lexicon of international films said, "The film tries to be credible, is solidly staged and has an excellent cast".

Rotten Tomatoes described the film as a "highly underrated espionage classic".

background

The film was shot in Paris , Vienna and Washington, DC .

Web links

• Scorpio, the killer in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Scorpio, the killer at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
• Scorpio, the killer in the online movie database

Individual evidence

1. ^ Roger Ebert : Scorpia Movie Review. Chicago Sun-Times , May 1, 1973, accessed December 24, 2014 . 
2. ↑ Scorpio, the killer. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .  
3. ^ Scorpio (1973). About. Rotten Tomatoes , archived from the original on December 26, 2007 ; accessed on December 24, 2014 (English): "SCORPIO is a highly underrated spy classic." 
4. ↑ Filming locations for Scorpio