Directed by:
Bryan ForbesScreenplay:
Bryan ForbesCinematography:
Gerry TurpinComposer:
John BarryCast:
Michael Caine, Giovanna Ralli, Nanette Newman, Eric Portman, Vladek Sheybal, John Barry, Leonard Rossiter, Santiago Rivero, John Tatum, George Hilsdon (more)Plots(1)
A recovering alcoholic and thief joins a married couple for a jewel heist and begins an affair with the woman when he discovers her husband is gay. (official distributor synopsis)
Reviews (2)
Another heist movie with Michael Caine, but this time in a dramatic style, so unlike Gambit or The Italian Job we don't get to laugh too much. It doesn't matter though, because we're still going to have fun. In Deadfall, for example, there's an absolutely great break-in scene, one of the best I've ever seen (yes, the one with the cuts to the concert hall, with John Barry himself conducting “Romance" for guitar and orchestra). However, the couple's relationship storyline is no less interesting and the final revelation was (at least for me) beautifully unexpected. Bryan Forbes did a good job with this film and I think it deserves to be better known. The two-hour runtime might be too long for some, but I can't think of a single scene that I'd take out of Deadfall.__P.S. John Barry's "Bond" music is superb as always, which of course also applies to the title song “My Love Has Two Faces" (a very apt lyric given the final surprise) performed by ("Bond") Shirley Bassey.
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The first half is unique and non-traditional in terms of genre. The 15-minute silent scene that is perfectly escalated and that makes you feel the tension between the characters that shows a robbery/concert. While the second part already generally standard (however bold for its time in its homosexual subtext), lengthy, treading the water and the only thing that justifies its existence is the final ending.
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