After watching this movie twice, the first time as a teenager, the second time now with my 50s, I don't understand why the reviews are so negative. It is true that with such a bunch of actors (Michael Caine, Peter Ustinov, William Holden, Omar Shariff) and such great filming locations, the result should have been much better! Michael Caine is definitely one of my favorite actors, but I have to admit that his performane in this film is rather weak, well below the usual level anyway. But it's not his worst movie! There are also real problems of holes in the scenario and improbabilities. The helicopter crash scene is a great example of a failure! The character played by Caine is far from being an adventurer, yet having plunged into the river to escape death, we find him a few minutes later back at his hotel in the city center without a scratch ... For me the David Linderby's character (played by Caine) is the weakest and most unlikely of the film. Is it because of the script, the directing or Caine himself who was bored? I could not say ... Still, Kabir Bedi, Beverly Johnson and Peter Ustinov offer rather interesting performances. Overall I found the film entertaining, exotic and reasonably interesting, and despite its many flaws quite endearing! The shots are very beautiful, and personally I liked the musical score.
