[Revisit Review]
For years now, I've stared at the Criterion DVD of Ronald Neame's Hopscotch that sits on my shelf. And for years, this has led to the exact same thought: "I know that I've watched this film before, but I literally can't remember anything about it except for a brief shot of an airplane taking off." Remembering that at some point I had paid good money for it, I decided to refresh my memory and re-watch it. The film, about an ex-CIA agent (played by Walter Matthau) who leads the department on a wild goose chase across America and Europe over a soon-to-be-published "memoir," was surprisingly enjoyable. I wonder why I didn't remember it more. I particularly enjoyed the 3-way dynamic between Matthau, his KGB counterpart played by Herbert Lom, and his one-time protégé Sam Waterston. These men approach the world of international espionage with good humor and even better manners, sharing drinks at information exchanges and demonstrating authentic respect for each other. In a sense, they seem ripped from an Ernst Lubitsch film. Additionally, it's nice to see an espionage thriller that a) doesn't take itself too seriously, and b) has a happy ending.
7/10
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