lasttimeisaw MIRAGE has an astounding opening gambit which potentially elicits a plethora of hypotheses inside a viewer's head trying to outguess the big reveal, such as brainwash, hypnosis or other sinister conspiracy theories of that ilk. Indeed, there are sinister parties involved, but believe me, they are as clueless as the rest of us in this enthralling, implausibly under-seen mystery thriller cooked up by a crafty Edward Dmytryk. During a power-cut in a NYC high-rise where he works, David Stillwell (Peck), a cost accountant is flummoxed by something devilish inexplicable (the vanished sub-stories, a woman who apparently knows him but he cannot reciprocate with the same gesture) and after being held at gunpoint at his own apartment by a thug Lester (Weston) and coerced to meet "the Major" with whom he has never acquainted, slowly it dawns on him that he is suffering from a severe amnesia, he has no inkling of what happened prior of the last two years, and puzzlingly states that during that spell he lives on his own-some with no personal contract with a single soul other than his job, it is a beggar-belief hogwash, no wonder the psychiatrist Dr. Broden (Harris) angrily drives him off when he seeks for help. But a stern-faced David is not a fibber, after hiring a rookie private eye Ted Caselle (Matthau) to investigate his lost identity, he begins to twig that everything he knows about himself is not true (the job, the company he works), too many lacunae and contradictions. He meets again with the said woman Sheila (Baker), who seems to shadow him and admits that they are romantically linked, and has no qualms about rekindling their passion even David is stuck in a tabula rasa, murders and chases ensue the next day, and eventually the nexus emerges when David apprehends that the amnesia didn't occur two years earlier, but two days before, to be more specific, right during the arbitrary blackout when a peace activist magnate Charles Calvin (Abel) fell to his death from his office window. Thus, the result can be boiled down to be a self-inflicted, radical self-denial in the aftermath of witnessing a horrific incident/a shocking revelation, thus David conjures up a false identity and temporarily gums up his memory, it is a stopgap displacement, not a panacea, in time all those occluded will strike back soon (still the condition's plausibility does need some medical professionals to put in their oars, not that uppity Dr. Broden of course), and a face-off with the Major (Erickson) is the only way to settle the scores once and for all. As gripping as the Russian roulette gamble is, the movie's closure doesn't live up to the same craftsmanship which precedes it, the victory of good people is inevitable by design, but is executed too slapdash to obtain that feeling of fulfillment, and in fact, the action pieces are another major fault line, noticeably fake during a fistfight between David and Willard (Kennedy, an inexorable heavy), there is a jarring dis-junction in the process, also a trick to mingle with a school crocodile to evade coercion looks lamely facile in action. Gregory Peck devotes himself emphatically to uphold exigency and agency in train, and remarkably generates enough credibility out of a cock-and-bull text with marquee élan. Diane Baker, takes pains to make a virtue of affection out of plot's requirement to play the love interest who of course, knows all David's backstory but gracefully crams up when being confronted with her pulchritude à la Audrey Hepburn. Walter Matthau, still pays his dues in an under-utilized peripheral role, nevertheless struts his stuff with considerable ease and harmless banters, and it is also him who pinpoints the rub during his not so ample stint: it is David himself who doesn't want to remember the past, as simple as that. Lastly, the nuclear radiation neutralization discovery is a far-fetched idea but conceivably relative to the Cold War fomented paranoia aka. a "mirage", and what the movie hits gold is when it manifests the insidious, cheek-by-jowl cohabitation of a non-profit organization and the society's immoral capitalistic drive, that is an aphorism sounds grating to today's ears.

Spikeopath Mirage is directed by Edward Dmytryk and adapted by Peter Stone from a book written by Howard Fast. It stars Gregory Peck, Diane Baker, Walter Matthau, Kevin McCarthy, Leif Erickson and George Kennedy. Music is scored by Quincy Jones and cinematography by Joseph MacDonald.David Stillwell (Peck) finds he is suffering from Unconscious Amnesia and that he has blacked out the events of the previous two years. That's rare, but Stillwell must find out what happened because he might have a lover, has shifty characters after him and he may even have committed murder?20 years after appearing in the tricksy and turny psychological thriller Spellbound for Alfred Hitchcock, Gregory Peck jumps into the same type of shoes with a modicum of success. It's a little too contrived for its own good, with the odd character serving to the plot as god knows what? Seriously, what is Baker doing here? While the weak ending doesn't pay off on the suspense and mystery that had previously been well orchestrated by Dmytryk. On the plus side is the shadowy black and white photography by MacDonald, giving the film an edge, and the use of real New York locations lend the film some serio worth.Matthau slips in and steals the film from an efficient Peck, and Kennedy and McCarthy score well as muscle and shifty respectively. It's not essential as a Peck or Dmytryk piece, or as a politico/mystery thriller, but enough interest within to keep it above average and Matthau more than makes it worth while. 6/10

sonthert This movie certainly deserves to be called an action movie, albeit a 1965 action movie.Gregory Peck stars in this hidden gem, other notables such as Kevin McCarthy ("Invasion of the Body Snatchers"), George Kennedy ("Airport", "Cool Hand Luke"), Walter Matthau ("The Taking of Pelham 123", "Hopscotch") and even a small walk-on by Franklin Cover ("The Jeffersons" TV Series). This is one of five movies that George Kennedy and Walter Matthau overlap on. I like both actors, so this movie got instant extra points.The movie has the tone of a Rod Serling Screenplay. Its very reminiscent in style to "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" or the "Twilight Zone", addressing nuclear war, world peace, civil liberties and other humanistic themes. Its not a cowboy movie where a guy gets shot and the main characters just step over the dead guy.The story revolves around a physiochemist who invents a way to eliminate nuclear fallout and radiation. He realizes that big business will use it to make nuclear bombs get used more since the risk of fallout is what makes nuclear weapons unwise. His dedication to world peace and ending war makes him decide to make the formula disappear. Gregory Peck's character Stillwell finds himself caught up in a case of mistaken identity, somewhat like Hitchcock's "North by Northwest" and confusion. He seems to remember some things very clearly, and other things he can't remember at all as if he had his mind wiped by hypnosis or some foul play. He continues to try and unravel how the events surrounding the disappearance of this formula and the death of a noted leader for world peace have in common. He goes to the police, who are uninterested in the case since he can't remember key elements about himself like where he is from. He goes to a psychiatrist who tells him that his story and symptoms are unbelievable. He then contacts a private detective named Caselle played by Walter Matthau who tries to help him, after Caselle decides that Stillwell's incredible story may be true. All the while a mysterious woman named Shela, played by Diane Baker who seems to know more about Stillwell than he does keeps dropping in, seemingly to keep Stillwell out of (or in) even more serious trouble.The acting is excellent, the story excellent. The ending is a little questionable, but obviously somebody's allegorical message about war or not submitting to authority. Well worth watching.

dimplet Once you watch this movie about a mysterious amnesiac you will never forget it. It has some of the snappiest dialog this side of Casablanca. The script is fantastic and the imagery is iconic. In this and other respects it follows in the Hitchcock tradition, most of all North by Northwest, in which Cary Grant Grant must figure out who he is, or rather who the bad guys think he is. And, like Mirage, there is a beautiful femme fatale who is on the side of the bad guys, more or less. A key part of this Hitch formula is to take a fairly normal guy and put him in James Bond's shoes, so to speak, and see how long he stays alive. This shows up again in Silver Streak.As the viewer watches this unfold, the movie lays down a challenge: How could these seemingly impossible things have happened in a way that makes sense? Behind it all is the maguffin, the spy deus ex machina. I see some posters have complained about the weak ending, but I think the maguffin in Mirage is actually much stronger and relevant than that in North by Northwest which was nothing more than some xxxxxxx. (No, I'm not going to tell.)Every character is strongly etched, without becoming caricatures, like some more recent movies, particularly the menacing George Kennedy as Willard, and the often comedic Jack Weston as Lester. And who can forget House Jameson as the senior citizen hit man? But it is Walter Matthau who steals the show as newbie private eye with common sense and a conscience. Talk about avoiding stereotypes! He tries to give back half his fee, saying he's not worth it. This is one of Matthau's earliest major film roles, and still one of his most memorable. Another reason I love this film is the setting in Manhattan in the mid- 1960s, perhaps at its most picturesque point in recent history. I lived in a suburb, and often came into the city back then. The movie brings back the feel of the city at the time. And then there is the allusion to the great Northeast Blackout, a strange nightmarish experience that really happened.Obviously, I am trying to avoid giving away the plot, but don't worry, even after you know the ending, you will still enjoy watching the movie again. If you are lucky enough to find this on DVD, buy it because this is a rare movie, and one of those rare movies that you can watch over and over again over the years.