Dr. Jonathan Hemlock (Clint Eastwood) is tired of killing for a living, but the ruthless government agency he works for needs his services again, and they'll use any kind of manipulation they have to in order to get him to take one last job. They eventually convince him to take on a dangerous... [More]

Dr. Jonathan Hemlock (Clint Eastwood) is tired of killing for a living, but the ruthless government agency he works for needs his services again, and they'll use any kind of manipulation they have to in order to get him to take one last job. They eventually convince him to take on a dangerous undercover mission that involves climbing the Eiger--and the most dangerous aspect is that he doesn't know which of his fellow climbers is the enemy assassin he's supposed to "sanction." THE EIGER SANCTION is Eastwood's exciting journey into the world of the James Bond-style spy thriller. Eastwood was attracted to the script by the opportunity it afforded him to film exciting climbing sequences in the Swiss Alps, and these well-made sequences are the high point of the movie. Eastwood insisted on doing almost all his own climbing. The plot, vased on the novel by Trevanian, is entertainingly far-fetched; its main purpose seems to be getting Hemlock on that mountain, so it succeeds. Eastwood gets strong supporting help from George Kennedy as his aging climbing buddy, Ben Bowman; Vonetta McGee as the provocatively named Jemima Brown, the woman he's not sure he can trust; and, most amusingly, Jack Cassidy in a hilariously over-the-top performance as Miles Mellough, a flamboyant gay double agent. [Less]