Sixty decades was certainly an interesting time for films, The Liquidator is one of the most popular films of this decade. This film has a fantastic spy story, The British Security Services is frustrated and embarrassed as they have a number of spies in their midst. It's time to liquidate them, so The Chief orders Mostyn to find someone.
Mostyn knew Boysie and his impressive actions during the war and sketch him. Of course, he doesn't exactly tell Boysie what he wants. He offers him a gorgeous apartment, some beautiful women, nice car, and after Boysie signs his life away, Mostyn drops the bomb. Boysie tries but he fails in his first assignment and instead saves the subject from the train tracks he was just about to throw her onto. The other thing is all the travel, Boysie really doesn't like to travel.
Another story began to form here -Jill St. John plays Mostyn's beautiful, sexy secretary, and Wilfrid Hyde-White plays the bureau chief; the film also features Akim Tamiroff. There are some funny moments and I like the dramatic dialogue. Its really Entertaining.
British Secret Service needs form Wilfrid Hyde-White and tells his number to who is now Howard and 20 years later after the end of World War II. At that time the British government was getting embarrassed routinely with the number of defections and the number of spies caught. The answer is to forget those democratic trivialities like due process. When you have a suspect, just shoot them, no questions asked. And Howard thinks his wartime savior is the perfect candidate for the job.
Taylor is a wonderful character in his role, He's a bar owner in some rural parts of the United Kingdom. But he reads those James Bond novels and sees those movies and he knows what perks come with being an operator. Certainly, Howard knows them too and he provides generously even overlooking the fact that his secretary Jill St. John is being tapped by Taylor. He finds an interesting way of subcontracting the work which I won't go into. But in the end, he finds he's being beautifully set up for a major score by the other side. The United Kingdom will really learn what embarrassment is all about If the bad guy were won.
The Liquidator is an amusing spy outwit. Howard does a nasty slow burn in the tradition of Edgar Kennedy. Jill St. John who is also a Bond girl in good standing is just as beautiful with a role a lot more substantive. I loved the fact that Shirley Bassey sang the theme song a la James Bond. It was great to see a spy whose hormones were far more potent than his efforts with a gun. A particularly funny part occurs when Trevor Howard is rescued by Boysie, as Paris is being liberated. Howard thinks that Boysie is a killing machine when, in fact, he is a hopelessly oafish young man. Rod Taylor is deliciously sexy in the film and displays his flair for comedy.
