23 reviews
okay 1970s thriller from Switzerland
Swiss Conspiracy opens with a screen of text, explaining that Switzerland has always been the perfect place for people to stash their money, acquired legally or not. How ironic it is that as I am watching this in July 2008, the State Department in Washington DC is formally requesting that the larger Swiss banks provide banking records to the IRS and to the Dept of Homeland Security here in the US. Swiss Conspiracy stars David Janssen, probably best known as the "Fugitive" and "Harry O" and Ray Milland ( Lost Weekend, and all those black & white movies from the 1930s and 1940s). Costars John Ireland, Elke Sommer, John Saxon, and a whole mess of bit parts. Janssen, as David Christopher, must figure out to keep the bank's clients from having their names and secrets exposed by a blackmailer. Has some cussing and violence, including a shoot- em- up right from the beginning scenes. No real big surprises in this one, but its an interesting What-If ... especially now that the U.S. is cracking down on its citizens moving money overseas. An hour and a half well spent. and some interesting photography of Switzerland to boot. Could have done without the silly "Sloop John B" euro re-make, which plays while Christopher is waiting for Denise to get dressed.
Low-budget international blackmail thriller isn't too shabby.
THE SWISS CONSPIRACY was advertised as "the ultimate blackmail thriller", and while it's too far from reaching top-notch status, it is a stylish piece of 70s intrigue from across the Atlantic. A B-movie running on overdrive is what you may hardly ever believe, but there is some attention worth grabbing on the action parts that flow at a solid pace, and can provide a few nifty surprises. Just try not to expect plenty of spectacular stunts from a flick like this, although the exotic sports cars are worth a look. If there are certain B-movie stars you can recognize, look for John Saxon in a convincing, but unfortunately brief role of a crook, plus international film starlets Senta Berger and Elke Sommer. And don't forget our major eye David Janssen, who's trying to get things straight with lovely Berger on his wing. A pretty good minor crime classic that delivers a slightly different beat of an ending.
A decent thriller
- JasparLamarCrabb
- Feb 9, 2010
- Permalink
This is a bad movie, sorry to say.
As a devotee of movies about intrigues, conspiracies and white-collar crimes that turn ugly, I was predisposed to like any story set in the glamorous-but-devious world of Swiss banking. And I like John Saxon.
But with very bad sound, clumsy credits, actors not interacting, corny music, a confusing plot (though I guessed the bad guy right away), a subplot more about middle-aged lust than romance, literal-minded camera work and a script so full of cliches there was no room for anything original, I had to give it a 3.
If you like skiing see "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". If you like bank fraud see "Shawshank Redemption". If you like conspiracies, see "Parallax View". If you like untrustworthy older people having sex, see the remake of "The Thomas Crown Affair". And if you want to see all of these in one movie, this is not the one.
I think the makers of this film were trying to make some sort of cross between the plot of a Bond movie and the style of "The French Connection". If you like car chases, you should see it.
"The French Connection", I mean.
But with very bad sound, clumsy credits, actors not interacting, corny music, a confusing plot (though I guessed the bad guy right away), a subplot more about middle-aged lust than romance, literal-minded camera work and a script so full of cliches there was no room for anything original, I had to give it a 3.
If you like skiing see "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". If you like bank fraud see "Shawshank Redemption". If you like conspiracies, see "Parallax View". If you like untrustworthy older people having sex, see the remake of "The Thomas Crown Affair". And if you want to see all of these in one movie, this is not the one.
I think the makers of this film were trying to make some sort of cross between the plot of a Bond movie and the style of "The French Connection". If you like car chases, you should see it.
"The French Connection", I mean.
Fair cosmopolitan thriller
- gridoon2024
- Mar 10, 2011
- Permalink
re transfer quality and movie itself
- theresamiszkwitz
- Jun 8, 2005
- Permalink
What are you crazy! He's US Justice Department!
Looks like something you'd see on European TV
David Janssen is an ex-U.S. treasury agent who finds himself involved in "The Swiss Conspiracy," a 1976 film that boasts a large array of old stars and actors: John Ireland, Ray Milland, Elke Sommer, John Saxon and Curt Lowens, plus the beautiful Senta Berger and a European cast. Janssen is David Christopher, who is asked to help a Swiss bank whose clients are being blackmailed with exposure of their numbered accounts. The stakes get higher when two of the victims are killed.
Words fail me but I'll go on anyway. First of all, this movie looks like it was transferred to DVD illegally - it even skips at one point with Janssen mouthing non-existent dialogue. The quality of the film is very grainy, and it looks like the movie was cut, too.
The film was made 5 years before David Janssen died, and he looks like he's going to succumb either during the film or the day after it wraps. If there was ever a tired, worn out actor, he's it. Ray Milland also looks to be at death's door. Did Bela Lugosi's makeup man do the makeup for this, or did they just go straight to a mortician? John Saxon turns in one of the worst performances I've ever seen, and that's saying something - I've seen Sonny Tufts in movies. An embarrassment of a New York accent to go with an awful performance.
The story isn't bad but by the time the movie is over, you're past caring. The scenery is gorgeous, however. There is one hilarious moment. One of the characters falls off of a huge cliff. Well, obviously, they used a dummy. When it hit the ground it bounced into the air - WAY into the air before landing someplace else. What I like best is that they left it in the movie. It made it almost worth watching.
Possibly this was made for television though for what country, I don't know. Maybe they dubbed it and it was shown in Europe. It really looks made on the cheap and like these actors worked for lunch and a cot.
Words fail me but I'll go on anyway. First of all, this movie looks like it was transferred to DVD illegally - it even skips at one point with Janssen mouthing non-existent dialogue. The quality of the film is very grainy, and it looks like the movie was cut, too.
The film was made 5 years before David Janssen died, and he looks like he's going to succumb either during the film or the day after it wraps. If there was ever a tired, worn out actor, he's it. Ray Milland also looks to be at death's door. Did Bela Lugosi's makeup man do the makeup for this, or did they just go straight to a mortician? John Saxon turns in one of the worst performances I've ever seen, and that's saying something - I've seen Sonny Tufts in movies. An embarrassment of a New York accent to go with an awful performance.
The story isn't bad but by the time the movie is over, you're past caring. The scenery is gorgeous, however. There is one hilarious moment. One of the characters falls off of a huge cliff. Well, obviously, they used a dummy. When it hit the ground it bounced into the air - WAY into the air before landing someplace else. What I like best is that they left it in the movie. It made it almost worth watching.
Possibly this was made for television though for what country, I don't know. Maybe they dubbed it and it was shown in Europe. It really looks made on the cheap and like these actors worked for lunch and a cot.
Switzerland! Come for the mountains, stay for the banking fraud
The legendary director Jack Arnold's last long-feature film is a raw and twisted blackmail thriller set in the beautifully picturesque country of Switzerland. In fact, the opening and closing credits, and many scenic sequences throughout the entire movie, almost make it look as if "The Swiss Conspiracy" is a tourist brochure in motion, as well as a typically 70s Euro-exploitation thriller! "Come to Switzerland! We have a lot more to offer than cuckoo clocks, cheese, expensive wristwatches and dubious bank affairs!" Well, actually, the plot of the film does principally revolve on the infamous Swiss banking structure. David Christopher, a former US government agent now retired and living in Zurich, is recruited as private security officer for a large and prominent Swiss bank. The bank itself, as well as five of its most respectable clients, are blackmailed into paying millions of Swiss Francs, otherwise their secret accounts full of fraudulent transactions will be publicly exposed. Christopher finds that everyone is a suspect, including the bank's Vice President and most of the blackmail victims, since they are borderline criminal and utterly corrupt themselves.
I often encounter the criticism that the plot of "The Swiss Conspiracy" is overly convoluted and almost incomprehensible. Don't be put off, because it's honestly not that difficult to follow! Like any good whodunit thriller, there are red herrings and plot twists, one more predictable and transparent than the other, and the experienced Jack Arnold keeps the pacing steady and the action continuous. The #1 reason for me to watch this film was the awesome ensemble cast! Personally, I never could stand David Janssen, but the supportive cast is downright phenomenal. The cast is a mixture of terrific American cult actors (Ray Milland, John Saxon, John Ireland, David Hess...) and Euro-exploitation regulars (Anton Diffring, Elke Sommer, Senta Berger,...). It's quite violent, with a few brutal and nihilistic executions, but also very entertaining and featuring scenic imagery from one of the most beautiful countries in Europe!
I often encounter the criticism that the plot of "The Swiss Conspiracy" is overly convoluted and almost incomprehensible. Don't be put off, because it's honestly not that difficult to follow! Like any good whodunit thriller, there are red herrings and plot twists, one more predictable and transparent than the other, and the experienced Jack Arnold keeps the pacing steady and the action continuous. The #1 reason for me to watch this film was the awesome ensemble cast! Personally, I never could stand David Janssen, but the supportive cast is downright phenomenal. The cast is a mixture of terrific American cult actors (Ray Milland, John Saxon, John Ireland, David Hess...) and Euro-exploitation regulars (Anton Diffring, Elke Sommer, Senta Berger,...). It's quite violent, with a few brutal and nihilistic executions, but also very entertaining and featuring scenic imagery from one of the most beautiful countries in Europe!
What a waste!
- bensonmum2
- May 1, 2006
- Permalink
A great buy for Europhiles!
The thing that attracted me to this movie was its title. I love Europe and have long had a fascination with Switzerland both for its beauty and its fierce, unwaivering independence and neutrality. Plus, I'm into women from the German speaking countries and this movie stars two beautiful ones, Elke Sommer and Senta Berger! So for $1.99, it was an automatic buy for me! So what if I wasn't clear about the plot?! To start off, the movie gets my award for the most attention grabbing intro that I've ever seen. A waiter in a fancy restaurant wheels a cart up to a table, pulls a gun out of his pants and shoots the customer - all in the first 30 seconds.
We later find out that the man killed in that scene was crooked arms deealer Georg Rasher of Vienna (the actor who plays him is uncredited) - one of five holders of secret accounts at a Swiss bank who recently received a blackmail notice that threatens to expose the account unless 1,000,000 Swiss francs are paid. In addition, the bank is told to pay 10,000,000 francs to keep the accounts secret. The total of 15,000,000 francs demanded is said to be the equivalent of about $6,000,000.
To investigate, the bank hires David Christopher (played by David Janssen), a former U.S. Department of Justice official who now resides in Geneva. In the course of his investigation, Christopher talks to the four living blackmailees - lovely Zürich resident Denise Abbott (Berger), who becomes his obligatory love interest, Texas businessman Dwight McGowan (John Ireland), Chicago crook Robert Hayes (John Saxon) and Dutchman Andre Kosta (Curt Lowens). It turns out that Christopher and Hayes already have a negative history with each other, which isn't surprising, as volatile and obnoxious as Hayes is.
Like many good mysteries, this movie gives us several suspects to choose from including Rita Jensen (Sommer), the mistress of the bank's vice president, Franz Benninger (Anton Diffring), and two men who are out to kill Hayes and Christopher, Korsak (Arthur Brauss) and Sando (David Hess).
Two other characters who add a lot to the movie are the bank's worried president, Johann Hurtil (Ray Milland) and Captain Hans Frey (Inigo Gallo) of the Swiss Federal Police, who is suspicious of Christopher and has several sarcastic run ins with him.
Eventually, the bank decides to cave in and pay the blackmailer. But what action movie hero would go for that?! Christopher, of course, attempts to foil the plot, which leads to a dramatic climax that provides a couple of surprising twists.
Some people complain that this movie is confusing. And I understand their point. To understand it fully, you have to pay very close attention to it from start to finish. It's very cleverly written and if you miss even a minute or two, you'll probably miss something important.
The two cuts of the movie that I've seen are relatively short - 1:20:57 and 1:23:22) - but not a single second is wasted. The movie has so much intrigue from so many sources that there's no room for boredom. There's lots of suspense, the action scenes are exciting and heightened by Klaus Doldiner's progressive jazz-funk music, the scenery (I'm fairly certain that it was filmed entirely in Switzerland) is fantastic and the combination of European and American actors give it a strong international feel.
Judging the movie by itself, I consider "The Swiss Conspiracy" to be a great movie. But its technical quality leaves a significant amount to be desired. Visually, it's decent, but the sound wavers from solid to weak, sometimes in the same scene. At several points, the dialogue is so soft that it's hard to decipher - so much so that I rewound, turned up the volume very loudly and sometimes still couldn't pick out the words.
Also, I warn you that on the cheapie DVD that I have, some of the editing is embarrassingly sloppy. And the transfer apparently comes not from an original source but rather a TV company as the obscenities are silenced! There is a free version available for download at http://www.publicdomaintorrents.com. It apparently is the theatrical version of the movie or at least closer to it than the cheapie DVD version is. The movie has apparently become public domain. I don't know how it reached that status but it's very sad that it did.
In conclusion, "The Swiss Conspiracy" is a great mystery thriller that could have been something spectacular with a big budget. Still, it is my favorite obscure movie of all time. I love the movie so much that I have a web page for it at http://www.geocities.com/theswissconspiracy and an e-mail discussion list for it at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theswissconspiracy.
Only the movie's technical deficiencies prevent it from getting a perfect 10. As it is, I rate it 9/10.
We later find out that the man killed in that scene was crooked arms deealer Georg Rasher of Vienna (the actor who plays him is uncredited) - one of five holders of secret accounts at a Swiss bank who recently received a blackmail notice that threatens to expose the account unless 1,000,000 Swiss francs are paid. In addition, the bank is told to pay 10,000,000 francs to keep the accounts secret. The total of 15,000,000 francs demanded is said to be the equivalent of about $6,000,000.
To investigate, the bank hires David Christopher (played by David Janssen), a former U.S. Department of Justice official who now resides in Geneva. In the course of his investigation, Christopher talks to the four living blackmailees - lovely Zürich resident Denise Abbott (Berger), who becomes his obligatory love interest, Texas businessman Dwight McGowan (John Ireland), Chicago crook Robert Hayes (John Saxon) and Dutchman Andre Kosta (Curt Lowens). It turns out that Christopher and Hayes already have a negative history with each other, which isn't surprising, as volatile and obnoxious as Hayes is.
Like many good mysteries, this movie gives us several suspects to choose from including Rita Jensen (Sommer), the mistress of the bank's vice president, Franz Benninger (Anton Diffring), and two men who are out to kill Hayes and Christopher, Korsak (Arthur Brauss) and Sando (David Hess).
Two other characters who add a lot to the movie are the bank's worried president, Johann Hurtil (Ray Milland) and Captain Hans Frey (Inigo Gallo) of the Swiss Federal Police, who is suspicious of Christopher and has several sarcastic run ins with him.
Eventually, the bank decides to cave in and pay the blackmailer. But what action movie hero would go for that?! Christopher, of course, attempts to foil the plot, which leads to a dramatic climax that provides a couple of surprising twists.
Some people complain that this movie is confusing. And I understand their point. To understand it fully, you have to pay very close attention to it from start to finish. It's very cleverly written and if you miss even a minute or two, you'll probably miss something important.
The two cuts of the movie that I've seen are relatively short - 1:20:57 and 1:23:22) - but not a single second is wasted. The movie has so much intrigue from so many sources that there's no room for boredom. There's lots of suspense, the action scenes are exciting and heightened by Klaus Doldiner's progressive jazz-funk music, the scenery (I'm fairly certain that it was filmed entirely in Switzerland) is fantastic and the combination of European and American actors give it a strong international feel.
Judging the movie by itself, I consider "The Swiss Conspiracy" to be a great movie. But its technical quality leaves a significant amount to be desired. Visually, it's decent, but the sound wavers from solid to weak, sometimes in the same scene. At several points, the dialogue is so soft that it's hard to decipher - so much so that I rewound, turned up the volume very loudly and sometimes still couldn't pick out the words.
Also, I warn you that on the cheapie DVD that I have, some of the editing is embarrassingly sloppy. And the transfer apparently comes not from an original source but rather a TV company as the obscenities are silenced! There is a free version available for download at http://www.publicdomaintorrents.com. It apparently is the theatrical version of the movie or at least closer to it than the cheapie DVD version is. The movie has apparently become public domain. I don't know how it reached that status but it's very sad that it did.
In conclusion, "The Swiss Conspiracy" is a great mystery thriller that could have been something spectacular with a big budget. Still, it is my favorite obscure movie of all time. I love the movie so much that I have a web page for it at http://www.geocities.com/theswissconspiracy and an e-mail discussion list for it at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/theswissconspiracy.
Only the movie's technical deficiencies prevent it from getting a perfect 10. As it is, I rate it 9/10.
Complex Thriller
Good cast delivers in this interesting blackmail plot involving Swiss bank accounts. Started somewhat slow but built nicely into a satisfying conclusion. Anton Diffring always adds a nice sinister element to a movie. Ray Milland is perfectly cast as the bank president. Janssen seemed to have a hard time getting into the proceedings but got better as the movie progressed. The other characters were reasonably well developed which gave the movie more depth. Great location shooting, vintage Ferraris, and Senta and Elke were definite pluses. Overall an enjoyable viewing especially if you enjoy Euro-based thrillers.
- bnwfilmbuff
- Mar 3, 2017
- Permalink
A disappointment
On the surface, "The Swiss Conspiracy" seems to have a lot going for it. It has a good cast (including David Janssen, John Saxon, John Ireland, and Ray Milland.) It was also completely filmed in Switzerland, a country you don't often see in a movie. Also, the plot, concerning the secretive world of Swiss bank, seems fresher than usual. Unfortunately, the end results simply don't work. The movie is extremely talky, with precious little action to enliven things up. What little action there is is also not that well constructed, coming across as humdrum as those talky parts. And while the cast may be made of professionals, the performances aren't that interesting - maybe the actors sensed they were in a bomb and decided not to make any effort. About all the movie has going for it are some scenic Swiss locations.
There's a Conspiracy Alright!!!
This movie was paced so slowly that even snails would be saying "Hello, I'd like to get there sometime today!" The best part of the movie is where this chef in a restaurant goes after someone with a cleaver. After that it goes downhill from there. So yeah, there's a conspiracy to forward the cause of bad films everywhere. I had to watch the ending a couple of times because I kept nodding off. If you are suffering from insomnia, pop this movie in and start watching it. It worked so well,that I almost got fired for sleeping on the job. If you want to see a better movie starring David Janssen, go watch Moon of the Wolf. In fact, the only reason I saw this movie was because it was on a DVD with Moon of the Wolf. It was in a bargain bin at a Walgreens near where I work. The sticker price was one dollar. It was one of those DVD's that are out there that are packaged in one of those slim jewel cases, and the DVD is double sided (a movie on both sides). Although I was surprised to see that Ray Milland starred in this movie. If you want to see a Ray Milland movie that's better, go watch Frogs. It has him and Sam Elliot.
- haystack2082
- Nov 20, 2007
- Permalink
Postcard from Switzerland
Little to recommend this tawdry thriller concerning clients of an exclusive Swiss bank whose secret account details are threatened to be exposed unless they pay an extortionist to keep them confidential. Bank's boss (Milland) hires ex-US defence dept investigator (Janssen) to protect the interests of the clients and discover who is behind the blackmail.
Handsome cast includes the no-nonsense Janssen (tippling at every given opportunity), Anton Diffring as the faithful 2IC to Milland, Senta Berger as a ferrari-driving feline with a penchant for bleeding married men, and wasting the considerable talents of Ireland, Saxon and Sommer, all given little opportunity to inject their abilities into essentially minor though not unimportant roles. I thought Curt Lowens and David Hess had the best roles as a pair of ruthless hired killers, though they were ruefully under-employed.
Attractive backdrops, sets, soundtrack and cast don't make a movie without an effective narrative, engaging plot and exciting climax and "Swiss Conspiracy" is lacking in all those aspects; its delivery of the story, which is convoluted and never properly explained is bland, boring and the overall film in spite of its credentials is ultimately very disappointing.
Handsome cast includes the no-nonsense Janssen (tippling at every given opportunity), Anton Diffring as the faithful 2IC to Milland, Senta Berger as a ferrari-driving feline with a penchant for bleeding married men, and wasting the considerable talents of Ireland, Saxon and Sommer, all given little opportunity to inject their abilities into essentially minor though not unimportant roles. I thought Curt Lowens and David Hess had the best roles as a pair of ruthless hired killers, though they were ruefully under-employed.
Attractive backdrops, sets, soundtrack and cast don't make a movie without an effective narrative, engaging plot and exciting climax and "Swiss Conspiracy" is lacking in all those aspects; its delivery of the story, which is convoluted and never properly explained is bland, boring and the overall film in spite of its credentials is ultimately very disappointing.
- Chase_Witherspoon
- Feb 24, 2012
- Permalink
The Swiss
- BandSAboutMovies
- Nov 25, 2023
- Permalink
flat action thriller
A Swiss bank and five of their customers are being blackmailed. None of them want their business being publicized from the secret world of Swiss banking. The bank hires former U. S. Treasury agent David Christopher (David Janssen) to investigate the case.
This is a West German-American co-production. Of course, this is about a Swiss bank. The question is whether banking can be made exciting. In this case, they don't. I care a little about Janssen, but none of the other characters. I hoped that John Saxon would have a bigger part. I hoped that there would be better action. None of it worked out. The only good is seeing some 70's Switzerland. It's a very small good.
This is a West German-American co-production. Of course, this is about a Swiss bank. The question is whether banking can be made exciting. In this case, they don't. I care a little about Janssen, but none of the other characters. I hoped that John Saxon would have a bigger part. I hoped that there would be better action. None of it worked out. The only good is seeing some 70's Switzerland. It's a very small good.
- SnoopyStyle
- Sep 10, 2024
- Permalink
Still working
It's a TV movie for sure but still work rather well. The action is more believable in this than most films today. The acting is quite decent. It is also a great time capsule of the 70.
- sergelamarche
- Dec 27, 2018
- Permalink
Blackmailed Bank
Jack Arnold directed this independently produced thriller set in Switzerland at the Swiss Alps, as five wealthy clients of a Swiss bank find themselves being blackmailed that their account numbers and contents will be made public unless a ransom is paid, so their bank hires former U. S. Justice official David Christopher (played by David Janssen) to investigate the increasingly convoluted mystery where romance and assassins complicate things. Costarring Ray Milland, John Saxon, John Ireland, and Senta Berger.
Though filled with gorgeous and authentic scenery filmed in and around Zurich, unevenly paced film proves to be a medium mystery that never really amounts to much.
Though filled with gorgeous and authentic scenery filmed in and around Zurich, unevenly paced film proves to be a medium mystery that never really amounts to much.
- AaronCapenBanner
- Feb 23, 2024
- Permalink
"I'll change into something less comfortable."
- classicsoncall
- Apr 9, 2012
- Permalink
German music maestro Klaus Doldinger's inhumanly funky score is a real banger!
Right off the bat, this (mostly) entertaining, glamour/glossy, visually appealing 70s Euro-thriller has a wealth of awesome Euro-cult credentials! Ably directed by B-Scion, Jack Arnold, and thrillingly framed against the alpine splendour of Switzerland, The Swiss Conspiracy is additionally bejewelled by some hefty thesping talent. Aggrieved clients of a highfalutin Swiss bank are being blackmailed, and sleepy/gruff alpha dude David Janssen is tasked to sleepily unmask these shady perpetrators. Like its somnolent star, the plot isn't exceptionally rigorous, yet the dazzling exterior locations are sublime, and the charismatic supporting cast provides a welcome distraction from the frequently undernourished text. My only gripe, and it is only a gripe-let, I feel that David Hess was greatly underused as a disposable rent-a-thug. That being said, scintillating siren, Senta Berger is distractingly luminous, and German music maestro Klaus Doldinger's inhumanly funky score is a real banger!
- Weirdling_Wolf
- May 25, 2024
- Permalink
Entertaining, real-location thriller!
- JohnHowardReid
- Jun 11, 2015
- Permalink
A Decent Euro-Thriller Made for American Audiences
- rdfranciscritic
- Oct 13, 2023
- Permalink