Review of The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973) by Eric E — 25 Feb 2010

In spite of what must have been a low budget, this film looks fantastic and has a strong cast. This is a movie that could never have been made at that time within the Hollywood system. The closest Hollywood could come was Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, which had to bury its social relevance in science fiction and makeup.

Lawrence Cook is great in the lead, as a man playing the long game, setting plans that take years to mature. As one of his women says, he's a quite guy, but one you don't mess with. He's my kind of hero; a thinker who can still take care of business if it's called for.

And with plans all his own, taking orders from none. Like any political/protest film, this movie paints many characters with broad strokes, and its politics are a touch simplistic. But the point of a movie like this isn't to be 'realistic' but to provoke thought.

And it does. Check this one out.