Surprise! Surprise! - for young Chris (Matt Dillon) when his mother is kidnapped in Paris. It turns out that years ago Daddy (Gene Hackman) was a CIA agent. Now someone is out to settle an old score. Actually, it's only the father-and-son relationship - as they dodge bullets, glamorous spies and double-agents in their hunt for Mama (Gayle Hunnicutt) - that sets this film above any run-of-the-mill spy thriller of the Sixties. Even here, though, it doesn't dig deep enough, a shame as the theme is especially well handled in Hackman's thoughtful performance. Disappointing to find a director of Arthur Penn's standing associated with a film that manages its routine chases, shoot-outs and explosions well enough, but is otherwise strictly for fans of the stars.

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