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Product Description

A 1906 newswoman pits a society of assassins against their leader in a game of death. From a Jack London story.

Product details

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.72 Ounces
Director ‏ : ‎ Dearden, Basil
Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC
Release date ‏ : ‎ October 29, 2013
Actors ‏ : ‎ Reed, Oliver, Rigg, Diana, Savalas, Telly, Jurgens, Curt, Noiret, Philippe
Studio ‏ : ‎ Warner Bros. Digital Dist
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00FNR9Z9W

Best Sellers Rank: #183,536 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #16,747 in Action & Adventure DVDs

Customer Reviews:
4.5 419 ratings

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4.5 out of 5

419 global ratings

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Could Have Been a Great Bond Movie

Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2023

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About as black a comedy as can be found, with a plot that has been 'borrowed' by both Robert Downey Jr's Sherlock series and the Kings Man series, this is a great movie for 1968/1969. Admittedly they seem to run out of money somewhere near the end, but the chemistry between Diana Riggs and Oliver Reed are the polar opposite of that between Diana Riggs and George Lazenby in 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'.

If only the Bond producers had the nerve to go with someone as potentially dark as Oliver Reed. At least we have this late Victorian spoof about death for profit in the fin de sickle days before WWI. Lots of great European actors with Curt Jurgens (another Bond villain) leading the charge, I cannot recommend this movie enough.

However, the special effects completely fall apart near the end of the movie, unfortunately. Nevertheless, the acting between the leads as well as the always-reliable Telly Savallis remains impeccable.

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cookieman108

Zeppelins, bombs, and bordellos, oh my...

Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2004

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The Assassination Bureau (1969), directed by Basil Deardon, is a wonderfully funny dark comedy, full of suave, sophisticated characters, lush settings, and wry humor, the kind we just don't see made anymore as it treats its' audience with intelligence and respect while not being too smart for its' own good, as opposed to many comedies of the present that focus on toilet humor, foul language, and just the general need to try and be a gross as possible, dumbing things down as much as possible for the broadest audience. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to be a film snob as I like most all kinds of movies, but I just wish along with what we have, we could also have more films along the lines of this one.

The film stars a very handsome Oliver Reed and the exceptionally beautiful Diana Rigg as Ivan Dragomiloff and Miss Winter, respectively. The story, set in what seems to be early 20th century, begins with Miss Winter desires to gain employment within a newspaper, one own by Lord Bostwick, played by Telly Savalas (Who loves ya, baby?). Her method for getting her foot in the door comes in the form of information she's uncovered about a mysterious international organization of hitmen, secretly called The Assassination Bureau, Limited, that takes commissions to execute people for money. Bostwick agrees to hire her, and in order to get a better handle on the story, she makes contact with the group, with the purpose to commission them to do a killing for her. She meets Ivan, and requests that he be the target. Ivan, who inherited his position and the company from his father, is of the idealistic sort, and sees this as a real opportunity to not only test his organization, but to strengthen the idealistic principles which his father brought forth when he started the bureau, as Ivan feels the current bureau has become to focused on the monetary gains from their lucrative business. He accepts Miss Winter's commission, and presents it to the board, and soon the challenge begins. Ivan must survive against some of the world's most deadly killers, taking them out before they do him in...with Miss Winters in tow, as she follows the story for her newspaper. Will the bureau be successful? Or will Ivan manage to elude his own murder, one which he accepted a commission for himself? I'm not going to tell, but I will say it's worth watching to find out. There's actually a lot more within the plot that I didn't detail, as I didn't want to give too much away for those who haven't seen the film.

As I said, the movie is a lot of fun and very enjoyable. Reed is especially charming and witty, and the chemistry between him and Diana Rigg's character comes through in nearly every scene they appear. Both actors bring a natural sophistication to their characters that just a real treat to watch. The film has the overall feel of a really well done comedy thriller with plenty of twists and turns to keep the viewer on his/her feet. The supporting cast did an excellent job, and there seemed to be a strong effort to choose suitable actors to fill out the international cast of characters. While the story was complex, yet easy to follow, some of the relationships between the characters seemed a little light, but this was such a minor nitpick to me, given the films strengths. Also, great attention was given to the look and feel of the scenes and the wardrobe, and also the scenes shot on location, as to convey a sense of the time period during which the film takes place. Speaking of place, the film travels from England throughout Europe, visiting countries like Switzerland, Germany, Italy, to name a few, providing a wonderful, lush, adventurous backdrop to an interesting story. One of the things I really liked about the movie that the story sticks to its' plot, offering little in the way of diversions that only cause the viewer to be removed from the film. The pacing may slow a bit at some points, but it does move along at a comfortable, even pace. While some elements may be predictable, I found overall that the story appeared to original and engaging. The special effects in the film will appear extremely obvious, but given when the film was made, this was about the level one could expect. I would say just go along with it, and appreciate the movie as a whole, and forgo focusing too much on these elements. Also, when is the last time you saw a zeppelin in a movie? Okay, maybe that not so entertaining James Bond flick A View to a Kill (1985), but this film is much better.

The wide screen print provided on this DVD looks exceptional, providing a clear and crisp image that really shows of the vibrant and beautiful colors throughout the film, especially highlighting the finer details of the costuming (I don't usually notice the costuming within a film, unless it's really off base or the film is a presenting a certain period in time. This particular period just happened to include colorful, elaborate, and intricate costumes, which were, at least in my opinion, really well done). There is a noticeable absence of special features, even lacking the customary theatrical trailer, but there are English subtitles available, which I found handy at times as the accents within the film sometimes were a bit thick and not easily understood. I would have enjoyed a little more in the way of special features, but I really can't complain, as the film looks excellent.

Cookieman108

50 people found this helpful

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Mr. Andrew Elphick

Runs out of steam

Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2023

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If the film had sustained the verve and sexiness of the first half, it would be remembered as one of the fluffiest and most enjoyable films of the late sixties. However the story starts to become slighlty repetitive and Diana Rigg takes a back seat for the finale, robbing us of the chemistry between her and the feral yet sophisticated Oliver Reed. Some good extras and an excellent commenatry make this a compelling purchase. I would say that the first hour or so is still one of my favorite films.

Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2023

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Great, great, great movie! One of my favorites! I watched it twice in quick succession! Good family movie, though questionable for a child under 13 years.

Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2022

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A fine, fun costume thriller. The cast looks smashing in their costumes, and everyone seems to be having a great time. One problem: the DVD is one that is several years old (in terms of when it was manufactured) and doesn't really take into account the new wide-screen/flat-screen formats of current TVs, so there's a little distortion. But it doesn't distract from the fun, and any movie that stars Diana Rigg in her prime (right off her stint on THE AVENGERS) has more than enough going for it!

2 people found this helpful

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Peggy L Weidler

One of the funniest movies

Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2023

Excellent movie

Diana Riggs is stunning...

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2023

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...Oliver Reed is magnificent.

What else do ya need to know?

Oh - and the Peter Maxx credits are far out!

2 people found this helpful

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britkid21

THIS BLU RAY WILL PLAY ON U.S.A. MACHINES!!!

Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2021

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I don't know why this is labeled as (Region B/2) because it is definitely for (Region A/1)! I’ve watched this Blu Ray and I can tell you first hand, that this print is amazingly clear. I have also viewed this film on video cassette and the DVD version, viewing it here in 1080P is almost like viewing it for the first time - it is that clear - I can see faces and other things I never could see clearly before, on the previous releases!

If you enjoy a brilliant European story., with a humourous engaging plot, and refreshing wholesomeness (that is sadly absent in our present time) and wonderful acting from a stellar cast - you will love this film!!!!!!!

5 people found this helpful

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Mr. Colin J. Todd

A presteampunk comedy

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 11, 2023

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A steampunk comedy before the whole steampunk style was thought of.
Good fun

Danielle Doré

Dvd

Reviewed in Canada on June 28, 2023

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Le seul hic c est que ce film n’ait pas été traduit en frančais.

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R. A. Smith

All a bit silly - but great fun!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 10, 2018

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Miss Sonya Winter (Diana Rigg) is young, ambitious journalist out to make a name for herself by exposing a secret, but apparently morally driven Assassination Squad headed by Ivan Dragomiloff (Oliver Reed in the days before Drink really got to him) - by taking out a Contract on him. She then invites herself along while Dragomiloff tours Belle Epoque Europe whilst avoiding the comically convoluted attempts by his own Bureau to knock him off. Adding the dastardly element to the melodrama is Lord Bostwick, owner of the Newspaper that commissioned Miss Winter who is trying to take over the Bureau for his own ends. Think of Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines meets Wyle E Coyote and you're pretty close.

The casting is generally excellent, with some pretty well-known names hamming up the National Stereotypes, whether it's Curd Juergens as the Prussian Officer, Pickelhaube and heel-clicks all present and correct; Vernon Dobtcheff as the permanently morose Russian or John Lloyd in full British Cavalry rig. The only slightly off casting is Telly Savalas who is somewhat unconvincing as a Lord, even if he gets the Villain part spot on. Watch out for some great cameos from Warren Mitchell, the original Master Roger Delgado and Beryl Reid amongst others. But Diana Rigg steals the show.

As others have pointed out, the DVD is actually a Spanish edition, but the primary Soundtrack is the original English one, and the menus, although in Spanish are basic enough - effectively Play Movie, Scene Selection and Options on the main menu, Options being Soundtrack in English or Catalan, the same for the Subtitles and that's about it - so easy to figure out. The transfer to DVD suffers a little in the modern age of High Definition both in terms of picture and sound quality but bearing in mind the age of the film is perfectly acceptable.

It's all very silly, harmless good fun and a great film for a quiet night in.

12 people found this helpful

V. A. Williams

A joy to watch

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 2, 2021

Verified Purchase

An expensive purchase but I love Oliver Reed, Diana Rigg, Basil Dearden and films of this era. Terry Savalas could be good and in this film he is. To my eyes this Imprint Blu Ray provided a perfect viewing experience for me in the U.K. Great work Amazon getting it to me so soon after release half a world away. I had not seen this film before and considered it to fall between Those Magnificent Men, The Great Race and The Wrong Box in style and when I watched the excellent Kim Newman give his analysis in the included documentary he agreed! Wow, Mr Newman turns up everywhere these days on Blu Ray releases from the U.K., Australia and the USA and I love him. Seeing his name on the back cover of a Blu Ray makes me want to buy it. I am very pleased with this item and recommend it most highly, great quality and great fun.

7 people found this helpful

Claudia

Diana Rigg & Oliver Reed Sizzle on the Screen!

Reviewed in Canada on July 12, 2021

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A great classic! Loved seeing a young Diana Rigg spar with the charismatic dynamic Oliver Reed. A great adventure and true to it's time. A romp with some fun surprises. If you are a fan of Oliver Reed with his sparkling blue eyes and Diana Rigg fresh off the Avengers set, ready to tame the bad guys. It is a must see film!

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