The Assassin (1952) User Reviews

James Bond meets the Third Man.

[onepotato2 · 6/10 · 19 October 2010]

Dapper, debonair, Brit Richard Todd runs around Venice (in a nicely tailored suit) trying to detect and derail an evil plot.

The best part of this is quite early, when we're not sure if Todd is a hero or a villain. Unfortunately they neutralize any of Todd's threat much too early and jump headlong into fairly disposable conventions (the burden of a female lead arrives). Todd's moral ambiguity ends far too soon, and once he's shown to be a run-of-the-mill straight shooter, things get less interesting.

Still it does not look like a B noir. There's more than competent lighting, surprisingly difficult camera moves (carried off smoothly) and a serious mood. Talented people are at work. It's Hitchcockian, almost Welles-ian (George Couloris is in it). How many B Noirs are filmed on location in Venice? For that matter, how many A noirs are? It's shockingly cynical for this era (likewise for Frank Capra's State of the Union '48, and All the Kings Men '49). It has a few smart, bracing lines in it: "When a man faces a blank wall, he turns round and come back. But put him on the wrong path and he'll never come back." "Sometimes changing your habits at the right time is all it takes to save your life"

As I watched, I wondered if this was the template for Ian Fleming's Bond? Did 'The International' borrow a ton from this? Both end with a rooftop pursuit. Richard Todd even resembles Clive Owen a bit. Far inferior things were made in the States that are still available (Frank Sinatra in Suddenly! ???) while this remains obscure.

Some great visuals, but it talks the convoluted plot to death...death in Venice anyone?

[secondtake · 6/10 · 8 May 2011]

The Assassin (1952)

What distinguishes this movie is the setting--Venice, in the 1950s. There are some other famous movies set in this town in this time (the moody 1955 "Summertime"), and somehow this one feels the most authentic, not romanticized to pieces but still an appreciative take on it.

Of course, you'd rather have your movie succeed because of its plot and acting, and this one isn't bad--I'd watch it if you like this kind of low budget black and white Euro-noir. (This is a British B-movie.)

As much as murder, and the machinations of post-war Italy, are the backdrop, this is a very talky movie, to the point of being both redundant and at times confusing. It's dramatic in its progression of mysteries, and in the many night or dark interior scenes, barely lit. It's dripping in art history throughout, both as backdrop and as a growing part of the theme (one of the main mysterious characters is an artist) and this is terrific.

Because the plot is one conversation after another, all rather undramatic in its delivery, it depends on its actors rather a lot, and the leading man (Richard Todd) in particular is serious but straining the whole way. The story and screenplay are by Victor Channing, who was a best selling British author in his day, and it feels like best seller stuff, thinly conceived. There are bit actors doing their best, and there is an authenticity implied by all of the settings and period sets fairly contemporary to the filming. But the deadened script undermines a visually emphatic movie. Watch with some patience left over.

Or watch for Venice. There really is a lot in store in this aspect (though some of the interiors were apparently shot in Veneto, which is the province nearby. Toward the end is a large procession on the grand canal, pretty neat if you like that kind of thing. As the assassin, an artist at heart, says as he is ready to commit his crime, "I should have a pencil, not a gun." And you know, the last five minutes is amazing filming (and sound!), with Hitchcockian overtones, worth seeing no matter what you think of the rest of it.

Why has this been overlooked? A solid post-war thriller.

[LCShackley · 7/10 · 19 February 2012]

This film, although not as well-crafted as THE THIRD MAN or THE MAN BETWEEN, is definitely in their league; it's a taut, post-war mystery in which a European city (in this case, Venice) is one of the most important characters. The main human character, Edward Mercer (Richard Todd), is a Hitchcockian protagonist: a man trying to prove his innocence in ever more dire circumstances.

The plot does get convoluted at times, but director Ralph Thomas always keeps your eyes interested with wonderful location shots. The cast is solid, and Sid James is given a rare dramatic role. The ending, also with Hitchcockian overtones, is thrilling and a fine bit of camera work and direction. (May I recommend that after you finish the film, go back and watch the first few minutes again. You'll see how cleverly the motifs of the film are tied together.)

Venice on a black and white budget, still beautiful

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 1 May 2013]

Richard Todd stars in "The Assassin" with Eva Bartok and George Coulouris, from 1952, shot in Venice.

Todd plays Edward Mercer, who comes to Venice on behalf of an insurance company, looking for a man named Uccello who has a reward coming for the rescue of an Allied airman during the war. Unfortunately for Mercer, the first person he's supposed to see is dead. Then he meets Adrianna (Bartok), who knew Uccello, and he is told that Uccello is dead. After a while, though, he begins to think that's not the case.

The director, Ralph Thomas, borrowed a good deal from Hitchcock in this film and did some effective things, particularly at the end, which is marvelous. He also used Venice and its surroundings very well to create an excellent atmosphere. If only the script had been less talky and the plot better, you might really have something here.

Bartok is mysterious, Richard Todd is very serious and quite handsome, and Venice is beautiful, even in black and white. Well worth seeing for that.

Not bad

[karen5778 · 7/10 · 27 April 2014]

This movie is obviously a competent adaptation of a book. It is pretty good, if you like grade B noir, and we do, but the most fun is seeing familiar faces playing against type and/or putting on Italian accents.The villain in particular was a shocker, as I'd only seen him in light comedies.

The most fun was looking up the bios of the actors on IMDb. It is one of those ones where a lot of the actors played roles in WWII themselves, some of them more dramatic than the parts they play here.

IMDb requires 10 (!) lines of text, so I will say the pigeons of Venice are amazing, some of the best lines are idiotic in context, and why have a chase scene in a glass factory if you aren't going to break any glass? I guess they didn't have the budget as they filmed in a real glass factory. And, IMDb, "bios" is not a misspelling of BIOS, it is a common term for biography.

James Bond meets Hitchcock---needed more of Todd's bad side

[filmalamosa · 6/10 · 30 October 2012]

Richard Todd plays someone hired by an American millionaire to locate a partisan in Italy who saved his life during the war. He wants to give him a reward.

The movie skims much too quickly over Todd's dubious provenance--too bad that would have made the movie so much more interesting than the straight shooter he is molded into.

The movie is shot in Venice and as other reviewers have noted resembles both Bond and Hitchcock.... The very last scene with the body falling from onto Saint Mark's square was so Hitchcock like. Also the police chief's office with the vertical window blinds that turn into a map of Venice seemed so Bondish.

As some one else noted there are talented people filming this ... moody shadows and cinematography that could not have been easy to do is carried off perfectly.

The movie has a couple flaws it becomes too straight shooter and it is talky....we depend on long dialogues by the actors to carry the story... this taxes them to the max especially when the lines are unlikely. Some of the lines were fantastic though ---the one about telling a man nothing causes him to hit a blank wall and return while lying to him sends him down a path and he leaves you alone.

RECOMMEND

Venice Amid The Canals

[boblipton · 6/10 · 9 October 2021]

PI Richard Todd comes to Venice to locate a man who rescued an American flyer during the Second World War; there's a reward for him. It turns out he's dead.

Except that people take a lot of interest in Todd when the bleeding man who came to him saying he knew how to find the dead man, turns up dead himself. After Todd explains himself to local Chief of Police George Coulouris, Todd goes hunting for the dead man, and finds clues. It all leads up to the man's widow, a local nobleman, and a assassination.

It's certainly competently written and performed, but the real star of this movie by Ralph Thomas -- who was about to make his bones with DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE -- is the city of Venice, shot in its black-and-white glory by Ernest Steward. Steward had become a regular DP the previous year, and would stick with Thomas for a few years; this would lead him into the mirthful more of the Carry On films, and along career in which he was never able to distinguish himself again. Ah, well. Sometimes a steady job is better than fading glory.

Great mood in a Venice filmed underrated gem.

[FrankiePaddo · 8/10 · 11 January 2005]

Set in the short years after WW2 there is mystery and political intrigue as a private detective tries to discover the whereabouts of an Italian and reward him for his part in the rescue of an allied airman during the war.

This is an excellent early 50s murder mystery thriller set in Venice with some great set pieces and beautiful and at times striking on location photography...much better than the overrated Venice filmed in "Don't Look Back".

Great mood - a marrying of post war paranoia ( Venice is close to the then disputed city of Trieste - between the West and communist Yugoslavia) and political intrigue which reflected the chaotic state of Italian politics at the time.

Ralph Thomas ( brother of Gerald of Carry On fame and who edited this film) made his fame with the "Doctor" comedy films starring Dirk Bogarde and Iron Petticoat with Bob Hope and Katharine Hepburn but he also made quite a few well above average middle budget suspense / drama films - Campbell's Kingdom (1957), Checkpoint (1956), Above Us the Waves (1955), Appointment with Venus (1951), The Clouded Yellow (1951), of which this is one of the best. The climactic chase is excellent.

Good performance from the ever reliable Richard Todd and a nifty small role for Sid James.Excellent music by Nino Rota ( Godfather, La Strada, La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2) also.

A underrated gem.

Noir Caper In Italy

[iquine · 7/10 · 26 December 2019]

(Flash Review)

An American detective come to Venice, Italy to track down a man. Early rumblings point to him being dead but the detective isn't buying it. There is a damsel in the mix who has a lot of information but doesn't know everything herself. This is one of those plots where the closer the detective gets to the truth the more intertwined he gets in the chaos. There are lots it Italian names and people to keep track of. The story clips along while being submerged in classic Venice streets. There are a handful of clever dialog zingers. A fun little Noir in an Italian setting.

Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk.....

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 17 March 2012]

A private detective is sent to Italy by an insurance company to locate a man so that he may be rewarded for his gallantry during WWII. However, soon it becomes obvious that this is all a ruse and they want to find the man for ulterior motives. Yet, despite this and a group of killers who want to stop him, the handsome detective (Richard Todd) doggedly continues his investigation in the town of Venice. Will he find what he's looking for...and, does the audience really care?

It's odd, but for a mystery/suspense film, "The Assassin" is amazingly unexciting. Most of the problem is that the film is so very talky. Again and again, instead of SHOWING the plot unfold, the film relies on HEARING people talking about it--a very static way to do such a film. The other problem is that although Richard Todd is a suave and handsome guy, he just seemed to sophisticated and nice for such a role. It played very much like if Dirk Bogarde or Cary Grant had played the part--all good actors but all too smooth and 'nice'. Overall, it's not a terrible film but it sure could have been a lot better.

Excellent thriller for its period - early fifties

[davidmgeer · 9/10 · 11 June 2011]

As another reviewer says this is something of an underrated film. More so since it was made in 1952. At that time exchange controls would have limited the amount of filming that could be done overseas and so much of it was studio filmed in England.

The story is intricate and the full meaning is not revealed until the final 20 minutes. If Venice seems harsh and cold its very much in the recovery from war mode yet the back drop is excellently atmospheric. The absence of tourists is refreshing. The films high contrast back and white rendition is also noteworthy.

Good cast....

Not hard to see why some say Bond meets 3rd man! Even some classy looking femmes fa tales!

"A Thousand Lira Should Take Care Of Your Ethics!"...

[azathothpwiggins · 10 August 2021]

Private Investigator Edward Mercer (Richard Todd) saves a man from being murdered. Before he can talk to him, he slips away.

Enter Adriana Medova (Eva Bartok), who may have information about the man. Mercer soon finds himself caught up in a web of mystery, deception, and murder.

THE ASSASSIN is a semi-dark, moody thriller that saves most of its thrills for the big finale. Todd is convincing in his role, as is Ms. Bartok, playing a conflicted character that would have suited the likes of Ingrid Bergman.

Recommended for lovers of conspiracies and political intrigue...

Foreign-set thriller with Hitchcockian touches

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 31 March 2020]

VENETIAN BIRD is a mostly forgotten but nonetheless engaging little thriller from 1952 with both political and spy overtones. The reliably tough Richard Todd plays a detective who heads over to Venice to find a war hero, only to find himself caught in a web of suspicion and ultimately murder. Conflict comes from both a criminal gang with murder in mind as well as the local police force under the auspices of George Couloris. Todd is excellent in this one and there's a real Hitchcockian flavour to the proceedings; an excellent cast including the likes of Sid James, Michael Balfour, Eric Pohlmann and John Gregson in support helps too to make it an entertaining watch.

Venice is the real star

[malcolmgsw · 5/10 · 22 March 2020]

I was lucky enough to visit Venice last year and this brought a lot of happy memories flooding back.Best to lock at the scenery than try and understand the labaryntine plot that unwinds in front of it.Difficult to know what exactly is going on.A lot of well known character actors with a variety of Italian accents.Far too talkie to be interesting.

Hot Glass when Hot

[tedg · 26 May 2010]

Many of these detective series had to be formulaic. That is the nature of a series. So if you want to differentiate, one strategy is to introduce exotic locations. When this was made, that was still rare. The location has to be highlighted in the name, so we have Charlie Chan, the Saint, the Falcon and so in such and such a city.

The place here is Venice. Unfortunately it is not captured well. For some reason, the texture of the city escapes the usual camera. (I did like the color you got in the Clooney "The Job" and the Bond "XXX").

So the setting is largely wasted by the clumsy camera, except for a visit to a Murano glassworks. The glass factories are located on an island near the city because of the ancient fear of fire. These for hundreds of years have been a wonder of the world, once secret, now a bit tired. When this film was made, Chihuly had not yet brought Murano to our attention and the polluting effect of tourism had not occluded its magic.

It is only a few minutes in this otherwise ordinary adventure. And it is just background motion. But you might as I, hold it a dear experience to just see.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

A Venice for tourists

[bob998 · 6/10 · 18 September 2020]

Another British Noir, with the same faults that seem to have afflicted this genre: dislocation of culture and customs in a foreign country. Dennis Price was lost in Alpine Italy, now Richard Todd is just as lost in Venice. I can't take the plot seriously, as I suspect few could when the film was first released. There are some attractive interiors (sets built at Pinewood), and a terrific ending with a chase over the roofs around St Mark's. I should compliment the director Ralph Thomas for this chase sequence; I didn't expect it from the director of the endless series of Doctor films.

Brit-Noir in Venice...Talky Intriguing Excellent Moody Images...Post-War Template

[LeonLouisRicci · 7/10 · 4 December 2023]

This was a "Type" Linked to Film-Noir that was Linked to Post-War Angst and Mood.

Paranoia, Angst, Suspicion, Weaved, Layered Templates Woven from the Forced Interaction of Peoples, Nations, and Cultures.

Part of the "Charm" and an Interesting Attraction.

Stimulating, Thinking Man's Intrigue of Intellectual, as well as Visceral "Gamesmanship" Adding to the Historical, Brutish, "Survival of the Fittest" MO.

The Aforementioned "Charm" Brought Along Complicated, Pay-Attention Plots,

that Brought-Along Talky, Long Conversations with Many Names (Foreign) and "Puzzle Pieces"

Needed to Complete the Mystery and for the "Good-Guys" to Win and Thwart "Evil" so Manifested and "In-Your-Face", Using its Devastating "Will-to-Power" in World War II.

These were Films that Sometimes, actually Most-Times, were Not Designed for a "Casual-Watch", Time-Killers, or Easy "Date Night" Entertainment.

The Genres, Film-Noir, the Quickly Expanding "Cold-War" Spy and Espionage Format, were a Step Beyond, but Bringing Along the Roots of Comic-Book and Pulp-Fiction.

The Aftermath of the World-War was a "Brave New World" to Survive and Thrive.

This Film Suffers from some of those Complicated Contrivances of Characters, Plot, and Setting.

But All Along Back-Dropped by Compelling Odd-Images...

Like Hiding in a Stuffed Museum Loaded with Statues, Costumed to the Hilt, and that Wall-Sized Tapestry (a big clue), and the Always "Alien" Water-Drowned" Venice.

The Players, Richard Todd and Eva Bartok also Make it Easy on the Eyes while the Weaving Constructs Another Hitchcockian, Wellesian, Graham Greene's, Artistic Film-Work to Keep the Population Stimulated and Entertained.

Above Average and...

Worth a Watch.

Boring, just boring

[searchanddestroy-1 · 6/10 · 26 October 2022]

Maybe Ralph Thomas should have made less films, because being too prolific is not always good to provide quality. Anyway, this film is not badly directed but the story bored me to death. I admit to dislike this mystery atmosphere. It is obviously more or less inspired by Carol Reed's THE THRID MAN, not the same story, plot, but anyone could recognize some elements in common. This movie however saves us a good roof top chase climax. That's the highlight of this mystery thriler programmer. So that's now up to you, maybe this film will satisfy your thirst of knowledge in terms of rare stuff. Richard Todd is good here, convincing.

No Tourist Venice This, Despite a Wonderfully Haunting Music Score!

[JohnHowardReid · 10/10 · 3 September 2008]

A millionaire hires a private detective to find and reward a wartime partisan who saved his life. Unfortunately, the man does not want to be found. Sound familiar? It ought to be. "Family Plot" is a blatant variation.

One of the best cinema translations of a mystery thriller ever made, the pacily-directed "Venetian Bird" started life as a gripping page-turner by Victor Canning who was, most fortunately, called upon to write the screenplay from his own book by astute producer, Betty Box, who saw to it that a fine cast of players headed by Richard Todd, Eva Bartok and Walter Rilla were assembled and flown to the suitably noirish Venice locations where the film was actually photographed.

From its attention-grabbing credits superimposed on a high angle over St Mark's Square, and underlined by Nino Rota's superlatively evocative music score, to the thrilling conclusion in that same square (astutely borrowed from Orson Welles' "The Stranger"), "Venetian Bird" is a high-flying movie. (What idiot changed Victor Canning's most appropriate title to "The Assassin"? No wonder all the movie's fans live abroad! The American title gives half the plot away before a patron even enters the theater or switches on the TV. As he twiddles his thumbs while he sits through all the now non-suspenseful exposition of the first half of the film, the American viewer must wonder why all the on-screen characters are so incredibly stupid. If you know the plot even before Richard Todd swings into action—and "swings" is the word, because he performs all his own breathtaking stunts—and the super-lovely Eva Bartok brings an otherwise spellbinding touch of mystery to her enigmatic role, you may well conclude that "Venetian Bird", despite all its atmospheric trappings, is no masterpiece of suspense.

All the same, it's still difficult to downgrade Ernest Steward's strikingly somber, moody camera-work, or the charisma of the players. Only the normally reliable John Gregson fails to convince. Fortunately, his part is small. The support cast is otherwise in the reliable hands of people like Walter Rilla's delightfully suave and sinister villain, and Margot Grahame's fine-tuned, carelessly guiltless charmer.

Assassin of Venice

[sculptagain-1 · 8/10 · 11 May 2012]

Just 7 years following WWII, Italy was just regaining it's favored nation status with Europe. And to reward a countryman for Anti-Nazi actions, a detective is sent to track one man down for proved to be a hero assisting the Allies against the Nazis only to discover he is recorded in public records as dying as a hero. As the story plays out, political intrigue enters the picture as attempts are to be put into place that will ruin the up-coming elections. The police are suspicious to a degree of the detective and keep him under watch. The plot to 'assassinate' the political front runner is directed toward the detective by the true perpetrators for cover. There is much of a Hitchcock-type landscape throughout the movie with twists and turns and intrigue that ends with moment to moment wonder... Will the truth unfold? Will the true assassin be exposed? Will the police get the right person?

The Third Man Who Knew Too Much

[TondaCoolwal · 9/10 · 1 February 2020]

The Venetian Bird in this movie refers not, regrettably, to the delectable Eva Bartok, but to a tapestry design which convinces private detective Ed Mercer (Richard Todd) that all is not as it seems. This film is set in Venice and owes something to The Third man and other fifties British spy/crime movies. Mercer is looking for Renzo Uccello, an Italian WW2 partisan. However, everyone to whom he speaks, including the local police chief want to convince Mercer that his man is dead. The offer of a reward draws out an informant, but he is murdered before revealing anything. Mercer is then offered 100,000 lira to go away, which intrigues him further. Lots of chases result including one cat and mouse encounter in an art gallery populated with spooky mannequins dressed in 18th century attire, and another in a glass factory. The fact that Uccello is still alive, and his identity, come as no surprise if you simply follow casting conventions. The reason for the subterfuge is that he is an assassin engaged to kill a presidential candidate on behalf of a right-wing group. And, rather surprisingly, he is successful in doing this. However, an attempt to frame Mercer goes wrong and this results in an exciting rooftop chase around St. Marks Square concluding with the inevitable plunge onto the piazza below. All in all this is a cracking little thriller if you can forgive the casting of a host of British character actors e.g. Sid James, Michael Balfour, Miles Malleson and Sydney Tafler with dodgy Italian accents. Lovely shots of Venice.

the wrong man in Venice

[happytrigger-64-390517 · 8/10 · 4 June 2019]

"Venetian Bird" is a fine surprise, a thriller in Venice with a fast paced ending after more than an hour too talky to me, action is just described in conversations, and that's too bad. Venice is of course well exploited with fine shots night and day, especially in the ending, and with few tourists. And Richard Todd is fantastic with his stronger and stronger look until this famous ending. So be patient till the end. And when you've seen this end, watch again the beginning. Great musical score.

Watch it for Venice

[tygerbright · 8/10 · 27 December 2020]

Not a masterpiece but a perfectly decent little thriller, good plot, good cast, good direction and a glorious celebration of all aspects of Venice.

good thriller set in Venice

[myriamlenys · 8/10 · 17 December 2020]

For the vast majority of people, war represents a catastrophe of earth-shattering awfulness. There are individuals, however, for whom war represents a chance ; for instance, a chance to exchange identities or to fake one's death in order to begin a new life. In "Venetian Bird" an investigator stumbles upon one of these opportunists.

It's a well-made thriller which makes excellent use of its Venetian setting. The various props, such as tapestries or costumed wax dolls, weren't just included in order to look nice ; they're well integrated into the story and general atmosphere. It all works up to a rousing finale with a very Hitchcockian feel.

Protagonist Richard Todd, as Edward Mercer, gives an interestingly ambiguous performance. His overly composed face hints at a man who has learned the hard way to hide his feelings ; it also hints at a man who might be harbouring a larger part of darkness than most of his fellow citizens.

The Song is Driving me Nuts

[BILLYBOY-10 · 8/10 · 23 September 2019]

First of all, this is a very good 50's thriller which of course, as everyone on earth knows by now, takes place in Venice and they do a great job of intertwining the city with the action of the film. It is overlooked for some reason, mostly I guess because it plods along in places but the ends justify the means in the end. M

My purpose of writing this review is because I can't seem to find anywhere the name of the song/singer during the opening credits. I know the score was done by the marvelous Nino Rota and it is haunting and appropriate as all of his scores are but given that I still have to fine the NAME OF THE OPENING CREDITS SONG. It's a male singer, all in Italian and even sounds older than the movie, but I don't know.