shakspryn
In the 1940s, Bob Hope did some films where he was the innocent guy caught up in a spy mystery, along with a beautiful woman. Those films combined a spy theme with humor. This film offers a similar role for Tony Randall, who is perfect in the part. His great comic timing and abundant energy are a huge plus here. And the script is very good--lots of sharp lines and good byplay between Tony and Senta Berger. For people who gave this movie a low rating, I totally disagree.In this kind of film, the trick is to combine some good action and suspense with humor. This feat is very, very hard to pull off well, but this film does it--hence I rate it a "10." The outstanding cast gives A-1 support. Also, the many interesting Morocco locations add interest. If you want to see a very well-done 1960s lighthearted spy film with good romance, humor and action, you can't go wrong with this film. I recommend it highly. And--Senta Berger never looked better, or Margaret Lee, too!
Leofwine_draca
Quickie producer Harry Alan Towers had a set routine when making films in the 1960s: he'd assemble an all-star cast, whisk them off to an exotic (typically hot) location and proceed to film a sub-par story designed to make maximum use of the familiar faces he'd gathered together. Such films are invariably disappointing, although film fans will probably want to watch them for the casts alone.OUR MAN IN MARRAKESH is a case in point, a quirky caper that mixes together three different genres. The first is a spy flick, with the rubber-face Tony Randall playing a man mixed up with scheming villains and beautiful femme fatales (Senta Berger). The second is a Hitchcock 'wrong man' thriller, with plenty of nods to the director's output a la THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH. Finally, Towers can't resist adding a little 'whodunit' aspect to make the most of his famous cast members, although technically this is more of a 'who is it' as identity plays a key part.Inevitably the script is disappointing and the various action sequences are routine to say the least, but the cast members make this worthwhile. Herbert Lom is the villain and Klaus Kinski his creepy henchman; also along for the ride are an out-of-place Wilfrid Hyde-White, Terry-Thomas, and John Le Mesurier, their upper lips stiff and quivering with indignation. OUR MAN IN MARRAKESH isn't particularly bad - although the comedy has certainly dated - but in comparison to Bond or Hitch it just looks dumb.
ksf-2
So..... Andrew Jessel (T. Randall) checks into a hotel in Marrakesh, and we see a (dead) body fall out of his closet. Some chick barges into his room, and talks him out of calling the cops. Kyra Stanovy (Senta Berger) is involved in this somehow, and we have to figure out how. For Randall, this was still a couple years before Odd Couple. Also in here is Herb Lom, you will recognize as Commissioner Dreyfus from all the Pink Panther films. Look for Brit actors Wilfrid Hyde-White and Terry Thomas (from the hilarious Mad Mad World....). A lot of talking and posturing, but not a lot of action for the first half. SOMEONE here has two million dollars in a suitcase to buy a vote. Jessel seems to be caught up in some spy trap. Whe confronted by the bad guys, we seem him in one of the more "tough" roles he played. The fancy hotel at which he stays also seems to be the same hotel that Patsy & Eddy stay at in Ab-Fab. More dead bodies. And for a while, we can't tell who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. Pretty entertaining film. Dr. No and Russia with Love had already been made into movies, so this was kind of a knock off of those. Randall had just made all those films with Doris Day & Rock Hudson. Written by Harry Towers, who had produced and written the screen plays for Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians".
vjetorix
`I think there's been some foul play' says Tony Randall upon discovering a dead body with a knife in its back stashed in the closet of his hotel room. Comedy is hard and although this one spends too much time as a chase movie, it is still largely successful thanks to a great cast and good script.Director Don Sharp, in his only spy outing, has crafted an enjoyable and funny film that doesn't resort too often to slapstick or other forms of cheap laughs. It manages to tread the line between humor and danger keeping the viewer interested enough to evoke plenty of hearty chuckles. A light and entertaining spy comedy, this is one of the best of the bunch.