Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

The other side is the good side in this ingenious thriller which also benefits from an extensive use of real locations. The screenplay, however, is somewhat thin on characterization. The narrative is fleshed out with two plots which only come together via the odd telephone call. Nonetheless, the pace is brisk and there is plenty of boom-boom action.Constant changes of locale also keep our attention focused. All in all, the film is reasonably enjoyable for those of us who don't pay too much attention on the dopey plot and are just along for the ride.The ever-reliable Pat Magree presents us with a brief but enjoyably hammy performance. Badel, however, is reduced to stooging. Donald Pleasense is not presented with many opportunities for fine acting either, even though his role is comparatively large.!

Okay, I have to admit I love Charles Bronson. After starring in some classic 60's films like "The Magnificent Seven" and "The Great Escape," he turned into a B-movie action star in the 70's, pumping out a bunch of exciting, entertaining movies that were great to watch with friends. "Telefon" is one of them.It seems Russia has brainwashed average Americans, who go about their daily lives having no idea that they have been programmed to kill when they hear a particular poem over the telephone. Donald Pleasance is the rogue spy activating these sleeper agents with a series of phone calls, and Bronson is the bad-ass Russian Major determined to stop him. He gets sent to America where he partners up with CIA Agent/love-interest Lee Remick. And we're off...First, my love for Bronson. He has to be the ugliest man ever to become a major star, but he doesn't care so why should we? Second, his acting is less than spectacular, but he gets the job done, and his stiffness actually works FOR him instead of against him. Third, although none of his 70's action flicks were by any means great cinema, they still had clever plots, shocking violence, and have stood the test of time as watchable and fun. Whether you're making fun of the movie or completely engaged at face-value, you're never going to be bored. I saw a lot of Charles Bronson movies with my grandmother (who loved him) and it's impressive that movies this old could entertain people with such tremendous age differences and tastes.The movie has its flaws: the cinematography switches between pristine and perfectly lit (the finale) to sloppy and out-of-focus (daytime exteriors)- which was probably the result of the film having two directors. The production values don't seem very good- like many Bronson quickies- and the movie has a made-for-TV visual look about it. Plus, there is one scene featuring Lee Remick in a late-70's leisure outfit (with matching sun visor) that makes her look like a renegade Burger King drive-thru clerk. ("Have it YOUR way... baby") But the movie is light and fast enough that you won't notice the weaknesses.The finale rocks: Bronson comes face to face with Bad Baldy Pleasance in a country roadhouse, and in the ensuing mêlée a real rattlesnake has his head really blown off with a gunshot! (Take THAT, PETA!) For a fun movie check out "Telefon," along with Bronson's classic "Death Wish" and the awesome "Mr. Majestyk"!GRADE: B-

**SPOILERS** Whatever made high ranking KBG office clerk Nicolai Dalchimsky, Donald Pleasence,go off the deep end is never really explained in the movie "Telefon. Judging from the pad-or apartment- the Soviet Government provided Dalchimsky and his mother, Anas Ikonen, the two are living in luxury in that it's as big as a suite in the Park Plaza or Waldorf Astoria hotel that could cost as much as $3,000.00 for a nights stay! Dalchimsky also travels first class all throughout the movie all over the USA making you wonder if the evil and anti-Capitalistic Soviet System, who paid his salary, isn't quite as bad as its made out to be!Dalchimsky somehow got a hold of the names of some 50 Soviet Agents in the US who were planted there at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis back in 1962. What's even worse Dalchisky has the code name for each agent that if he or she is told what it is will set them of to, like a bunch of mindless suicide bombers, blow themselves up together with the US military installations they were programed to destroy!Both the KGB and CIA work together in "Telefon" to stop Dalchimsky's madness by getting their two top agents Major Gigori Borzov, Charles Bronson, and Agent Barbara, Lee Remic, to both work together in stopping him. What's even worse then Dalchmsky's mad rush to ignite WWIII is that the present premier of the USSR is totally unaware of the secret suicide-bomber agents planted in the US! Which may well lead to a firing squad or a life long stay at a Soviet gulag for those, Borzov's superiors, responsible for them if he ever found out! Both Brozov and Barbara are driven around in circles by the clever but dangerously insane Dalchimsky who uses those underground Soviet agents, who are now hard working and law abiding American citizens, to cause havoc all over the US. Dalchimsky even went as far as having some two dozen top Soviet military and KGB personnel knocked offed which originally alerted the CIA with the help of their top computer whiz Dorothy Pullerman, Tyne Daly, of just what he's up to!***SPOILERS From This Point On**** The movie has Brozov and Brabara, posing as man and wife, chasing the slippery Dalchimsky from one major US city to another until they finally track the crazed psycho down in this little out of the way town in Texas. It's there that Dalchimsky's luck finally runs out but only after he, with the help of the Soviet underground agents, destroyed a good portion of the US economy.Charles Bronson being himself of Eastern European-Lithuanian Polish- descent is very convincing as Soviet KGB Agent Grigori Borzov. Bronson is given more lines in the movie then he usually has which makes his acting far more creditable with him not having to work over or gun down some dozen bad guys to keep him focused. The beautiful Lee Remic as US CIA Agent Barbara more then holds her own as Bronson's, or Borzov, partner. Barbara is under orders from her boss at the CIA Harley Sandburg, Frank March, to knock Borzov off once he completes his mission in terminating the out of control Nicolia Dalchimsky. It's in the final moments of the film that both Borzov and Barbara pull off the Big Switch! In them not following their bosses,in the CIA & KGB, orders in having them "come in" and-unknown to them-be terminated for the good job that they did. To also insure that the both CIA and KGB doesn't get any bright ideas, in offing them, Borzov & Barbara also destroy the list of the remaining Soviet Agents! Making it both impossible to find and terminate as well has having them being activated by a future malcontent and nut case like Nicolia Dalchimsky.

This film really isn't that well done, and yet if I happen to flick through the TV channels, and it is on, I find myself getting caught up in it. I guess I like telephone movies. Or better yet, I like movies that don't have cell phones. I know if they remade "Telefon" they would ruin it with cell phones. The key to this movie is that Donald Pleasence does most of his acting in phone booths. A lot of actors of lesser talent might let this restriction hamper their performance, but Pleasence really shines as the bad guy. My favorite DP moment is when we first see him wearing the toupee. I couldn't help but think how clever those Soviet spies were with their disguises. He looks like he is on his way to an Arte Johnson look-alike contest. I'm not sure why he doesn't keep it on through the whole movie. I would have liked to have seen him get strangled while wearing it.