Bullseye! * (1990, Michael Caine, Roger Moore, Sally Kirkland) – Classic Movie Review 5549

Michael Caine and Roger Moore pair up for the first time and form a tremendous British star double act as colourful conmen with cash flow problems and remarkable resemblances to dishonest scientists.

Cue producer-director Michael Winner’s frantic 1990 British caper farce, which gives Caine the chance to do an amusing American accent and both stars to play dual roles, don kilts and give game, likeable performances. Caine plays Sidney Lipton and Doctor Hicklar, while Moore plays Garald Bradley-Smith and Sir John Bevistock.

However, off-target director Winner lets the nonsense plot fall into unfunny chaos, and the slack movie ends up a bit of harmless silly fun if a long way from being exactly hilarious. It would be fair to say it misses the bullseye by miles.

The screenplay is Leslie Bricusse, Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, based on a story by Leslie Bricusse, Michael Winner and Nick Mead.

It runs 102 minutes but the US version is cut to a mercifully compact 90 minutes.

Also in the cast are Sally Kirkland, Deborah Barrymore [Deborah Moore], Lee Patterson (in his last cinema film), Mark Burns, Derren Nesbitt as Inspector Grosse, Patsy Kensit, Alexandra Pigg, Jenny Seagrove, John Cleese and Deborah Leng.

Roger Moore died of cancer on 23 May 2017 in Switzerland, aged 89.

Fellow 007 Pierce Brosnan wrote: ‘The combination of Bond and The Saint ignited a flame for fame in my heart. Roger as The Saint made me believe in his world. And the man who was The Saint transformed into James Bond, an even greater hero to me as a boy.’

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5549

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