The List of Adrian Messenger

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The List of Adrian Messenger

Released May 29, 1963

1h 38m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

64%

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14 Reviews

67%

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500+ Ratings

British army Col. Anthony Gethryn (George C. Scott) is contacted by his old friend, Adrian Messenger (John Merivale), to investigate 11 men, whose names Messenger provides. After a plane carrying Messenger is blown up by a mysterious perpetrator, Gethryn determines that the men on the list had been prisoners of war in Burma during World War II -- and that someone connected to a minor British aristocrat (Clive Brook) is methodically murdering each man on the list.

Variety Staff

Variety

An even more damaging miscue is the utilization of stars who are hidden behind facial disguises in fundamentally inconsequential roles.

Feb 5, 2008

Full Review

Tom Milne

Time Out

Saddled with an incredibly creaky whodunit plot, this thriller should really have been set in Victorian times to accommodate its villain with a passion for disguises, its Holmesian detective in a bowler hat, its murder in a fog-bound Limehouse.

Feb 9, 2006

Full Review

Sergio Benítez

Espinof

A 'smaller' film from John Huston still serves to give lessons in planning, execution and narration, and 'The List of Adrian Messenger' is no exception. [Full Review in Spanish]

Sep 4, 2019

Full Review

Dwight MacDonald

Esquire Magazine

If one takes the film straight, it's hard to believe that the man who made The Maltese Falcon also set this turkey waddling.

Aug 12, 2019

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TV Guide

Convoluted but absorbing.

Rated: 3.5/4

Feb 5, 2008

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Jake Euker

F5 (Wichita, KS)

Rated: 3/5

Feb 18, 2007

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Steve D

Effective thriller with a great cast.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/26/24

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delysid d

a confusing but wholesome movie with kirk douglas and george c scott

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/23/22

Full Review

Matthew D

Big stars are cast for the sake of casting them. Most of them are in cameo rolls where they don't get to do anything. The movie itself wasn't very satisfying either.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

08/15/21

Full Review

Audience Member

Entertaining, but it doesn't captivate you.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

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deana p

great movie dunno why it's rated so low

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The best mystery movie ever made!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

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John Huston

Director

George C. Scott

Anthony Gethryn

Dana Wynter

Lady Jocelyn Bruttenholm

Clive Brook

Marquis of Gleneyre

Gladys Cooper

Mrs. Karoudjian

Herbert Marshall

Sir Wilfrid Lucas

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Synopsis

British army Col. Anthony Gethryn (George C. Scott) is contacted by his old friend, Adrian Messenger (John Merivale), to investigate 11 men, whose names Messenger provides. After a plane carrying Messenger is blown up by a mysterious perpetrator, Gethryn determines that the men on the list had been prisoners of war in Burma during World War II -- and that someone connected to a minor British aristocrat (Clive Brook) is methodically murdering each man on the list.

Director: John Huston
Producer: Edward Lewis
Screenwriter: Philip MacDonald, Anthony Veiller
Distributor: Universal Pictures, MCA/Universal Pictures [us], Universal International Pictures
Production Co: Universal/Universal Int
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 29, 1963, Original
Release Date (DVD): Jan 11, 2010
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, 1.66:1