The List of Adrian Messenger (1963)

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

It's almost a pity that The List of Adrian Messenger is a good film. Otherwise you could have fun with the title and call it The Mess of Adrian's List. In fact, an episode of Get Smart does this (to be exact, the episode is called The Mess of Adrian Listenger). But under the direction of the legendary John Huston, this old style English whodunit is a fun murder mystery. With the excellent George C. Scott in the lead speaking with a British accent.A writer named Adrian Messenger believes a series of apparently unrelated accidental deaths are linked murders. He asks his friend, a recently retired member from MI5, to help clear up the mystery.Spoilers ahead: The real fun of The List of Adrian Messenger and what makes this film still unique is that then famous movie stars play cameos in disguise. Frank Sinatra, Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis and Robert Mitchum all appear in heavy makeup. Robert Mitchum is the most recognizable and the only one who uses his own voice. He certainly gives the best performance of the star cameo's (he has two scenes), but he does not give a typical Mitchum performance. He is the only one we can be sure of, because there have been claims that some of these stars just appeared in the revealing epilogue and that their scenes in the film were done by stand ins.The other actor we can also be sure of is Kirk Douglass who takes on different disguises. Douglass makes himself recognizable early in the film when he changes masks in the restroom of an airport. But his part is not a cameo, it is the second male lead and in the last act he appears without a disguise. The fact that Kirk Douglass is so recognizable does not make it much of a whodunit, but it doesn't really matter. It's still a fun guessing game why he is doing all the killings. The director John Huston himself makes a cameo at the end, although not in disguise.

for the actors in cameo roles. for Kirk Douglas and George Scott. for the story and its old fashion flavor. for the details and for the levels of way to the truth who reflects a manner to build a film noir who could be almost fascinating. a film of keys, crimes and theories. and not only a good script but splendid performances for define events, meetings, plots, errors. the similarities with Sherlock Holmes' stories is one of pillars of this seductive film about a rich family and the danger around it. and it is only the beginning. the mark of John Huston is basis for a dark film who remains memorable for the status of game with masks, for the ambiguity and for the great job of Kirk Douglas .

After his bitter disappointment with The Red Badge Of Courage Huston began to lose interest in directing though he still, of course, needed to pay the rent which explains some of the assignments he accepted. In this case a re-jigging of Kind Hearts And Coronets in which Kirk Douglas like Richard the Third and Alec Guiness before him, systematically eliminates the line of succession standing between himself and an estate and title. In an effort to sweeten the air around this stale plot the film employs the gimmick of having four 'stars' in cameo roles but as each is heavily - and ridiculously - made up it could be - and probably was - anyone under the masks. No one from lead George C. Scott on down, seems remotely interested in the plot and I can't really blame them. To say ho hum is to give it the benefit of the doubt.

The List of Adrian Messenger is a John Huston film from 1963.It's a movie filled with fantastic stars.Some of them are hard to recognize because they have disguised themselves.Your job is to guess which is which.You can discover Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster, Robert Mitchum and Frank Sinatra.Your job is not easy for some of them are pretty unrecognizable.The brilliant Kirk Douglas is among the stars you can recognize, even though he is seen in many masks.It's always great to see this now 90 year old actor in a movie.The fine actor George C. Scott plays Anthony Gethryn.Dana Wynter is Lady Jocelyn Bruttenholm while director's son Tony Huston plays the role of Derek Bruttenholm.The outstanding Jerry Goldsmith is behind the music.This film is fascinating, most fascinating.