Cheaply made & modest-to-a-fault, this b&w espionage pic spots Burt Reynolds, in his first feature lead, as a wry, very ‘60s womanizing undercover agent sent to Saigon when the previous 'op' gets offed. With Thailand baldly standing in for Vietnam, Burt plays clueless agriculture lecturer while secretly following clues marked CREDIT. A risible idea for a tourist/spy which naturally sends him up many blind alleys. Unable to tell friend from foe, Burt stumbles along as various treacherous helpmates watch as he falls into waterways & changes into fresh shirts, activities designed to show off that fit, hirsute footballer bod. There’s a bit of interest in seeing a Vietnam-based story, however trifling, from Pre-Tet Offensive days, before U.S. military action had ratcheted up to become such a divisive issue. And then, toward the end, when Reynolds seems to be kidding the whole thing. But a lack of real locations makes it all pretty meaningless even as tone-deaf comedy.
WATCH THIS, NOT THAT: Hollywood largely kept clear of Vietnam. Then, in 1978, two: Michael Cimino’s much praised (though not here) THE DEER HUNTER and Ted Post’s sadly under-seen GO TELL THE SPARTANS.
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