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Pretty Good

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

A body is found near a famous landmark in Rome. At the same time an American goes missing and his wife, "Shelley North" (Cyd Charisse) wants to find him. So she turns to an old flame named "Dick Sherman" (Hugh O'Brien) who happens to be an editor for the local newspaper, "the Rome-American Daily". During the course of his unofficial investigation he comes upon drugs, espionage, gambling and murder. Anyway, while not the best mystery film ever made, this movie still has enough twists and turns to keep most people interested for the most part. I thought Hugh O'Brien turned in a decent performance as did Cyd Charisse to a lesser degree. Again, while it certainly wasn't a blockbuster by any stretch of the imagination it was decent for the period in which it was made and I think most people who enjoy films of this genre will probably be satisfied. All in all I rate it as about average.

If "Assassination In Rome" feels a bit slow at times, and it does, it's probably because it places value in the now often considered old-fashioned principle of plot progression: it is a step-by-step investigation which probably grows more complex than you'd expect and leads to a pretty crazy ending. But even during the slower moments, there is the iconic Rome (and Venice) scenery to keep your interest. The direction is mostly standard, but it does have one nice touch: a photograph coming to life. My one main complaint is this: how can you have the woman with perhaps the most famous legs in film history as the lead in your film and keep those legs covered up 99% of the time? I don't care if Cyd Charisse was getting a bit on in years in 1965, I know that those legs were still fantastic. Anyway, "Assassination In Rome" qualifies as a mild recommendation for both mystery and spy fans. **1/2 out of 4.

While on an extended vacation in Rome, Shelley North's (Cyd Charisse) husband goes missing. The embassy can provide no real assistance, so she turns to an old flame and successful journalist, Dick Sherman (Hugh O'Brian), for help. Shelley's husband seems to have been living something of a double life involving blackmailers, drugs, and international secrets. And someone will stop at nothing to make sure Shelley's husband isn't found.You might think that a plot that includes heroin trafficking, murder, stolen blueprints, kidnapping, and extortion would make for an exciting movie. In the case of Assassination in Rome, you'd be dead wrong. It would be hard to make a more lifeless movie with so much potential. The problem is that for ¾ of the movie, nothing happens. People go to lunch, women wear fabulous clothes, and everyone talks. But all the action is left off-screen and we're left with pointless melodrama. And then there's that sickening love-themed soundtrack that accompanies most of the movie. You can bet that anytime Cyd Charisse and Hugh O'Brian are on screen together, you're going to hear that same old schmaltzy score. Ugh! I'll give O'Brian some credit – at least he appears to be trying to make this stinker more palatable. Unfortunately, he doesn't get any help from Charisse who seems terribly out of sorts as if disinterest has taken over her whole body.Don't misunderstand, Assassination in Rome is far from being terrible. In fact, many of the set pieces work quite well. The final ¼ of the movie does provide a few chills and a suspenseful moment or two. And the shots of the Rome and Venice locations, circa 1965, are a real treat. My favorite had to be a scene that included the outside entrance to Cinecittà studios.

Only so-so, this rather pedestrian thriller is from the director of a couple of decent giallo, Amuck and So Young, So Lovely, So Young. They are not great examples of the genre and this is somewhat less appealing. Hugh O'Brian at least tries and is never as wooden as Cyd Charisse who seems to barely understand what she is to do and unprepared every time she has to speak. Just watchable, this film is in fact saved by its fascinating location shooting in Rome, where we even get to go inside the famous Cinecitta film studios and the excellent and surprisingly natural sequences in Venice. The only other thing going for this is that it is available at a very decent price in a rather attractive DVD package.