The 1969 action flick "The File of the Golden Goose" stars Yul Brynner in a crime thriller that plays more like an
espionage movie. Brynner portrays American Treasury agent Peter Novak,
who is sent to London to infiltrate and bust a major ring that
specializes in spreading counterfeit U.S. currency. Novak is assigned a
young Scotland Yard detective, Arthur Thompson (a very effective Edward
Woodward) and the two men enact a scenario where they are ultimately
taken in as part of the gang by mobster front man George Leeds
(always-reliable character actor Walter Gotell). The film is
unremarkable on most levels, but the script is intelligently written and
there is some genuine suspense when Novak begins to suspect that
Thompson is adapting to the mobster lifestyle for real. Brynner makes
for one of the most inimitable leading men of his era, constantly
bringing a sense of dignity and gravitas to what otherwise might be
considered to be a B movie.
There is also a very wry performance by
Charles Gray, playing an out-of-the-closet queen who dabbles in
counterfeit bills in between hosting orgies. The film was helmed by
actor/director Sam Wanamaker, who makes the most of the extensive London
locations. However, the movie's climactic shootout sequence involving a
helicopter is a bit of a dud and suffers from poor editing.
Nevertheless, any Brynner film deserves attention and The File of the Golden Goose is a more than satisfying thriller, though it must be said my opinion is in the minority. The movie was a critical and boxoffice failure but if you share my sometimes irrational love of even low-grade spy movies of this era, you'll find it enjoyable.
The film is available on Blu-ray through Kino Lorber in a welcome upgrade to MGM's previous DVD release. The only bonus extra is a trailer.