dougdoepke Riveting political thriller. Bronson plays a Russian intelligence major assigned to stop programmed Stalinist agents from carrying out a possible doomsday plan. Bronson's a member of a reformist wing of the Soviet Communist Party that has replaced hardline Stalinists. However, the earlier doomsday plan remains in effect, and now it's being executed in the US by a renegade Soviet agent (Pleasance). Fortunately for Bronson, the winsome Remick is assigned by Soviets to assist him. Problem is if Pleasance is not stopped he could well set off a nuclear catastrophe.The movie has two elements from earlier Cold War films: The Manchurian Candidate (1962) and Dr. Strangelove (1964). Like Laurence Harvey in the former, agents here are programmed by trigger words to carry out their mission in robotic fashion. At the same time, there's the overhang of a possible doomsday as in Strangelove. Here those elements are skillfully blended to build suspense.What really distinguishes the film, however, is an overall absence of Cold War good guys and bad guys. There's really only one villain, the unreformed Stalinist. Unlike 50's Cold War films, this one treats operatives of both sides strictly as professionals doing their duty without noticeable favorites. One possible exception is Remick. Despite her coy girlish manner, she's also been assigned to eliminate partner Bronson once he succeeds in killing Pleasance. That way, no one will be left to spill the beans about the aborted plan and embarrass the new Soviet regime. So Bronson is to be rewarded by his superiors with death. Maybe that's a good enough reason, but not unarguably so. Meanwhile, Bronson's his usual steely self, while Remick plays up the girlish appearance, leaving us to guess how much of a façade it is. But stealing the show is Tyne Daly as the plain-looking brain behind the American side. Her superiors appear rather addled much of the time, while she deftly maneuvers clues behind her bank of computers. Good touch. Most of the action comes from explosions that blow up real good. I don't know how they did them in 1977, but they're impressive as heck.Anyway, the movie suggests a possible waning of Cold War passions on our side, perhaps because of growing recognition of what a nuclear exchange would entail. Be that as it may, the movie remains a taut and under-rated political thriller, helmed by the masterful Don Siegel.

Coventry "Telefon" isn't exactly the most plausible espionage thriller ever made, but it was particularly the far-fetched and flamboyant plot line, along with the acting performances and harsh violence, that kept me glued to the screen. "Telefon" is the codename for an old Soviet war incentive against the US. Years ago, during the peak years of the Cold War, 51 Russian secret agents were strategically placed all over America. They were instructed to build up regular lives, however, reciting a specific piece from Robert Frost's poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" triggers some kind of hypnotic effect that turns them into unstoppable kamikaze soldiers with sabotaging assignments. The "Telefon" project got pretty much forgotten during the détente era, but now the dangerously berserk Stalinist Nicolai Dalchimsky single-handedly decide to awake the "sleeper" agents and leave a trail of destruction throughout America. Moscow headquarters' only chance to prevent World War III from happening is to send Major Grigori Borzov, who's loyal as a dog and has a photographic memory, to the US and eliminate Dalchimsky. You got to admit the idea behind "Telefon", which is based on a best-selling novel, is crazy enough to provide 100 minutes of grotesque and exhilarating action. In fact, the action and the extended imaginative sabotaging operations are what matter most here, as the rest of the script is full of ineptness and holes. The film hastily jumps from one wrecking sequence to the next without bothering to explain the background of the "Telefon" project or the motives of the culprit. Donald Pleasance, who portrays the evil Dalchimsky, is terribly underused because the screenplay never once bothers to elaborate on his malignant plans. This could have been a great role for Pleasance, but now it's just another villainous character like he has depicted dozens and dozens already. Charles Bronson is at his best, since he doesn't have to speak any more than absolutely necessary, but nevertheless acts forceful and confident. Don Siegel's direction is surprisingly pedestrian and distant, which isn't normal for him. Still, "Telefon" is good solid Charlie Bronson entertainment with a totally bonkers plot line!

martin-chemnitz Telefon is a fantastic Cold War spy film. Tough guy Charles Bronson tries to track down nerdy Donald Pleasance before he triggers World War III via activating brain-washed, embedded KGB-planted saboteurs. The movie foreshadows our modern computer hackers, who couldn't win a fist-fight with a teddy bear, much less a KGB agent. However, sulking in secrecy, carrying out a pre-planned attack like modern Trojan-horse programs, Pleasance, as Nicolai Dalchimski, both for money, revenge, and sadistic fun, tries to bring down the world from afar. The beautiful Lee Remick plays an American double-agent as Bronson's US partner, who's willing to kill *if* it will stop WWIII. So lovely is she, that she can even turn Bronson's commie killer heart to abandon his career by movie's end. So beware if suddenly the phone rings, and you hear, "The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, ... "

jrs-8 I was never a big Charles Bronson fan. His movies usually followed the same predictable patterns of revenge and violence with Bronson usually coming off dry and stiff. His performances were usually always one note.Of the few films of his I have enjoyed (see also "The Mechanic" and "Hard Times") from that era, "Telefon is a surprisingly gripping thriller even though the story is downright silly at times. Bronson plays (and doesn't even begin to resemble) a KGB agent out to track a killer who have been brainwashed. One call from this guy and the reciting of some lines from a Frost poem and that person is hypnotized into going out and committing an act of violence that resembles terrorism in many cases. Donald Pleasance convincingly plays the bad guy and that, I think, is what makes the movie work. Pleasance is credible in the role, thus we fear him and route for Bronson to catch him. Also on hand is Lee Remick as an American agent assigned to help Bronson but who also has a hidden agenda of her own.Director Don Seigel handles the silly material in a straightforward manner never taking things too seriously. Bronson is less stiff then usual and the action scenes are well done. The ending is a bit abrupt but that is minor nit picking. It's a silly thriller I enjoyed and, if you are a Bronson fan, I am sure you will enjoy it too.