Today’s quick review: The Jigsaw Man. Philip Kimberley (Michael Caine) was the head of British intelligence until he defected to the Soviet Union. Under pressure from the KGB, Kimberley returns to London with a new identity to retrieve a list of KGB assets in the West. Kimberley tries to strike a deal with Admiral Scaith (Laurence Olivier) for the list, but in doing so, he accidentally puts his estranged daughter Penny (Susan George) in danger.
The Jigsaw Man is a spy thriller starring Michael Caine. The story revolves around Philip Kimberley, a legend in the intelligence community who resurfaces for one final payday. The Jigsaw Man aims to be a taut thriller with a clever protagonist and a splash of action. Unfortunately, it falls well short of the mark. Flimsy acting, a jumbled plot, and a poorly developed main character all contribute to a less-than-stellar watch.
The Jigsaw Man’s chief mistake is that it never establishes Philip Kimberley as a character worth following. His motivations for defecting to the Soviet Union are never explained, nor is his reason for hiding the list of KGB assets in the first place. Several characters, most notably Admiral Scaith, build Kimberley up as a brilliant tactician with a distinguished track record, yet he shows no particular talent for spycraft in the movie itself.
The Jigsaw Man also suffers from other problems. The plot is disappointingly linear, with none of the twists the spy genre is known for. Kimberley’s list does a poor job of driving the story, a plot device with no mystique or significance. The movie tries to set up a handful of subplots, but they never go anywhere. The Jigsaw Man is further hampered by confusing dialogue, extraneous detail, and performances that don’t quite fit together.
Overall, The Jigsaw Man may have something to offer dedicated fans of the spy genre, but most viewers would be better off skipping it. Even within its niche as a Cold War-era thriller with a distinguished cast, The Jigsaw Man is outclassed by several movies with better action and sharper writing. Viewers who are interested in the premise should instead try Funeral in Berlin, Three Days of the Condor, or Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
5.2 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 for shaky acting and a bare-bones plot.