

The British send an American and a war hero to kidnap and hide an oil-country prince.
Acting
Jack Hawkins plays world-weary authority like no one else.
Writing
Double-crosses stack like a house of cards—delightfully precarious.

Director
Basil Dearden
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Basil Dearden directed this between his heavier 'social problem' films, clearly enjoying the lighter touch.
The oil-prince plot lands differently post-1973 crisis—a quaint fantasy of controlling Middle Eastern resources that aged... awkwardly.