Although I know that this film not meant to be like a prelude to Roger Moore playing James Bond, it sure looked like one...though the Bond role would come several years later. Like Bond, there are lots of hired killers, a murder plot involving a head of state as well as lots of adventure and a sexy woman. But unlike Bond, this character played by Moore is NOT so perfect. He often gets the snot beaten out of him, gets framed for evil stuff he never did and bumbles his way into all this! The results are fair--worth watching but a trifle too long.When the film begins, like Bond you see Gary (Moore) in the arms of a sexy woman. Unlike Bond, however, he has a day job and soon realizes he must leave for work...leaving a very frustrated woman behind! You then learn that Gary is a playboy who works for an advertising firm. He's late for a big meeting and doesn't take time to go through his materials. And so, when he presents a big advertising campaign to the bosses, he suddenly discovers someone has substituted a woman for the model he had in mind. But the big boss (Bernard Lee of all people) is thrilled when he sees a picture of this mystery woman and insists they sing her asap. The problem is no one seems to know WHO she is! So, like a private eye, Gary goes in search of her--which is exactly what some unknown people want. They want him to do all the work and find her for them. Because she apparently knows something that could get her killed...or at least they think she knows something and they are more than willing to silence her for good.In addition to going on just a bit too long, my biggest complaint was the extensive use of cheap and unnecessary rear projected scenes. For example, instead of going to a horse race, this is projected behind Moore and he acts in front of this screen. This is sloppy and it clearly looks as if he's acting in front of a screen...which is weird, as they later DID do a horse racing scene on site! Regardless, several times they employed this...and each time it was sloppy. There also is a VERY sloppy helicopter stunt that just looks bad. Overall, the film is worth seeing...but not nearly as good as a Bond flick.

While this has been likened to a James Bond adventure (which star Roger Moore was still four years away from first tackling), it actually plays more like a tenth-rate copy of an Alfred Hitchcock suspenser – and, specifically, NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)-meets-THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH (1956).In fact, Moore is an advertising executive who unwittingly runs into a person involved in deadly political games – model Claudie Lange (who, amusingly, is depicted as being constantly famished!). Incidentally, her equally attractive aunt (Martha Hyer) is revealed to be the chief villainess of the piece (along with Bond-Moore's future superior 'M' himself, Bernard Lee!) intent on assassinating a visiting South African leader – as always in the most public of places (in this case, Hyde Park) and synchronized to take place during the customary 21-gun salute. Two other very obvious borrowings from NORTH BY NORTHWEST are a helicopter chase (imitating the legendary crop-dusting sequence) and the rather funny disruption of a church wedding recalling the auction scene in the Hitchcock classic where Cary Grant was similarly drawing attention to himself in order to stall his pursuers! Also in the cast are Alexis Kanner as a would-be decadent lord who actually advocates peace and ultimately emerges to be on the side of the good guys, as well as Hammer regular Francis Matthews playing a hit-man for Hyer {sic}. Moore having just come off "The Saint" (a series in which director Rakoff was also involved), this still has that bland TV look to it – despite the rather incongruous Swinging London backdrop. The film includes mild dollops of style, wit, sexiness, action and suspense – all of which were prime features of NORTH BY NORTHWEST in particular, but which were also part and parcel of the Bond saga. In the long run, taken on its own merits, CROSSPLOT is a harmless time-waster but one that has added value if seen as a transition between Moore's trademark personae i.e. Simon Templar aka "The Saint" and James Bond aka 007.

A boyish pre-James-Bond Roger Moore plays advertising executive Gary Fenn in this preposterous tale about uncovering a sinister plot in London. "Crossplot," directed by Alvin Rakoff, is more 60s nostalgia than exciting movie-making. The dated costumes and hairstyles, the period dancing and songs, and the misfire mix of comedy and espionage seem like an early Bond film gone haywire. The presence of Bernard Lee, who distinguished himself as "M" in the Bond series, adds to the faux-Bond look, but adds little to the proceedings. The flimsy plot gets underway when a photograph is substituted in an advertising proposal, and Moore pursues an elusive model for his campaign. The writers were likely inhaling something stronger than Lucky Strike when they came up with this idea. Claudie Lange plays the exotic model as though she had studied under a drag queen doing Gina Lollabrigida, and she gives new meaning to wooden. Only her ample bosoms show any charisma. The scenes between her and Moore lack any chemistry, and the photo shoot destroys her supposed appeal for the advertising as she poses and grins embarrassingly for the camera. While Martha Hyer looks lovely, well coiffed, and classy as Claudie's aunt, she has little to do but make eyes at Moore and keep her hair in place.The story wanders over London and the English countryside, but the sights offer little distraction from the nonsense. "Crossplot" does offer a pastiche of scenes culled from other, better movies. A sequence that takes place in an antique car and period costumes seems like it was lifted from "The Great Chase," but without the talent involved in that film. Like the Bond films, the villains all have lousy aim, and the mechanics of the plot when it unravels make no sense whatsoever. A helicopter chase has been included to remind viewers that "From Russia with Love" was a far better film and starred a far better actor. The scene in which Moore disrupts a wedding is more than an echo of Cary Grant's antics in the auction scene in "North by Northwest." Only die-hard fans of Roger Moore will relish this movie, although he was admittedly more appealing here than in much of his later work. Either "Crossplot" was made as an audition for Moore to play James Bond or as a tax write-off for its investors. Either way the audience suffers.

It was great to see Roger Moore in his post-Simon Templar pre-Bond role. He wasn't fighting off the guys in his usual spy-guy image. It was rather refreshing also to see him get into situations like this. Plus, the charm and beauty of Martha Hyer was always a pleasure to watch. There is a scene where he falls in the water trying to save her. Simon Templar would not put himself in such a way like that. Also when he fights off the bad guys you'll notice the sequences seem not so much as a spy-guy karate-chop image but he still ends up being the hero. There was a vulnerable side of him I enjoyed. I would also like to see this movie on video. It was on cable a couple of days ago.