A man discovers that his best friends are actually spies -- or are they? -- in this thriller based on Robert Ludlum's best-selling novel. John Tanner (Rutger Hauer) is the host of a television news show who once a year spends a long weekend with three of his best friends from college, Bernard Osterman (Craig T. Nelson), Joseph Cardone (Chris Sarandon), and Richard Tremayne (Dennis Hopper). Tanner is approached by Lawrence Fassett (John Hurt), a CIA agent who has evidence proving that his three
pals are actually agents working with the Soviet Union. With Tanner's reluctant approval, his house is wired with video surveillance equipment so that the CIA can monitor what Osterman, Cardone, and Tremayne say and do over their weekend together in hopes of putting the traitors behind bars. However, Tanner soon realizes that Fassett's agenda is not all that it appears to be. The Osterman Weekend was directed by Sam Peckinpah; it proved to be his last film, as he died a year after its release. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
I don't demand that all movies make sense. I sometimes enjoy movies that make no sense whatsoever, if that's their intention. But a thriller is supposed to hold together in some sort of logical way, isn't it?
Some individual sequences -- including a car chase early in the film - have the lunatic humor that might have made the rest of the film bearable, though probably nothing would justify the film's final blood bath.
The structure is a mess (the film was recut against Peckinpah's wishes), which ultimately makes it difficult to tell whether its oddly compelling qualities are the result of a coherent artistic strategy or the cynical carelessness of a director sidelined.
Too bad this confusing, incoherent satirical espionage thriller turned out to be the swan song of Sam Peckinpah,who made so many good films (The Wild Bunch).
A muddled thriller ... Peckinpah seems more interested in shooting laughable action sequences and exposing the bare breasts of his actresses than in relating a coherent story.
Definitely falls under the category of one of the most under-appreciated and overlooked movies ever made. The film-making style alone is worthy of praise, Sam Peckinpah's early use of slow motion action sequences and sound is just so well done. Not to mention the flawless casting, Rutger Hauer has and always will be
one of the greatest actors of all time. He makes any role feel incredibly human and at the same time captivating beyond belief. The story is so well played out, making for one of the best Soviet-Spy plots. There is one twist after another and even when you think you've figured it out it throws you another twist. All around this is just an incredible movie and definitely deserves more credit.
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