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      Callan

      1974 1h 46m Drama Mystery & Thriller List
      Reviews 75% Fewer than 50 Ratings Audience Score An aging British spy (Edward Woodward), demoted to a desk job, is recruited to kill a German businessman. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      Alistair B This was a Movie Version of an Early Callan TV Series Episode.The Late Edward Woodward plays a working Class former Soldier who's disgraced and is brought up on charges is blackmailed into working as an Agent for a fictional Division of The British Government.Callan is a blunt straight to the point aggressive quick tempered who has his own type of demons because of some of the things he's had to do for Queen & Country.This Film is a bit more interesting because it's shot on a bigger budget that has exterior filming rather than the mostly Low Budget gritty TV Show Interior Sets. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Fantastic British cop film. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member One of the most inspired thrillers ever made, staring the charismatic Edward Woodward, probably the greatest British anti-hero ever. Callan was always called the anti James Bond, you can see why; his life is the complete opposite of glamorous casinos and gorgeous woman, he lives in a flat and his best friend is a thief called Lonely, who always fears getting nicked by the coppers. In this Callan, is an assassin working for secret organisation The Section and suddenly called out of retirement for a job. The job is to kill a man, but he does not know why or what the man has done. The London setting looks stunning, the set up is incredible and the acting is great. One of the best British films ever, highly recommended. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member Well-plotted reworking of the pilot ep. A Magnum for Schneider into a more cinematic offering. Action set pieces featuring a "Noguchi" .357 magnum, window-tinted white range rover, and hilariously easy to master iron fist technique are a lot of fun - despite perhaps reflecting Callahan more than Callan. The contrasting scenes of Callan warming to his assassination target, (an ex-Nazi arms dealer) while his mid-level English bureaucrat boss berates him are quite heavy handed. But pleasingly so, as a more pointed and specific variation on themes of domestic post-war fascism. The military music is appropriate, given the incorporation of lead miniature tabletop strategy gaming into the plot, and the harmonica warms it a bit. Watch for a dubbed David Prowse on the receiving end of Callan's five fingers of death, and a surprisingly good fight with Peter Egan as Callan's institutional rival. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Fantastic British cop film. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Callan

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      Critics Reviews

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      Eddie Harrison film-authority.com … took The Ipcress File’s drab riposte to James Bond and took it a stage further; although there’s a Range-Rover chase and some cinematic action, it’s the tiny details of trade-craft that work best here… Rated: 3/5 Jan 30, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis An aging British spy (Edward Woodward), demoted to a desk job, is recruited to kill a German businessman.
      Director
      Don Sharp
      Screenwriter
      James Mitchell
      Production Co
      Magnum Films, Syn-Frank Enterprises
      Genre
      Drama, Mystery & Thriller
      Original Language
      English (United Kingdom)
      Runtime
      1h 46m