A movie about legendary evil starring legendary titans, all rekindled into a conglomerate of beautiful photography, gigantic Jerry Goldsmith score and superb acting, sometimes teetering on hammy but always under control. Olivier particularly phenomenal. When isn't he? There's also a half dozen recognizable supporting faces sprinkled throughout that really flesh out the cast.

Franklin J. Schaffner of the three classic P's: Planet of the Apes, Patton and Papillon, really reigns in what could be B-movie execution with high levels of committed acting and plausible plotting. This is ultimately my kind of globe-trotting political intriguer with some slow moments but it always kept me interested.