On H List of Movie Reviews
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The Holcroft Covenant (1985)
Rate:
7
Viewed:
7/25
7/25:
That's a good combination for The Holcroft Covenant: Michael Caine and John Frankenheimer.
James Caan was slated to play Noel Holcroft and then dropped out one day before they were about to begin
filming, so Michael Caine stepped in as a last-minute replacement. The former, I can see, but the latter is
just perfect for the role.
It's a decent story with great locations to reach for that European flavor, but there's the nagging feeling of
"I don't believe it." A lawyer-like guy shows up out of the blue and tells Noel he's about to inherit $4.5
billion. That simple, eh? It would be nice to get more assurances, especially from the bank in Geneva
that's holding the money, to make the whole deal 100% official.
Some viewers have stated The Holcroft Covenant deals with spies. That's not true although it has the feel
of an espionage thriller. It's rather a conspiracy picture with some people getting offed along the way. There
are several editing issues that make it difficult for me to buy into the storyline fully. As a
matter of fact, the screenplay had to be reworked by three different writers including one who did
The Manchurian Candidate.
All in all, I prefer The Holcroft Covenant over some of Michael Caine's similarly-themed films such as
Billion Dollar Brian,
The Black Windmill,
and The Whistle Blower.