Callan – 1974 | 101 mins | Drama, Thriller | Colour

Plot Synopsis

Intelligent feature-length version of the classic TV series based on James Mitchell’s 1967 pilot Armchair Theatre production A Magnum for Schneider taken from his novel A Red File for Callan. Woodward gives an excellent performance as the Harry Palmeresque embittered former agent down on his luck and Don Sharp‘s direction is well-paced and polished; particularly the memorable cat-and-mouse car chase.

Former Secret Service assassin Callan (Edward Woodward) is given the chance to resurrect his career within a shadowy British Intelligence department after losing his nerve. But having accepted a mission to kill a Schneider (Carl Möhner), a German businessman involved in gun-running, the conscientious spy soon realises there is more to the case than meets the eye and also has an ambitious fellow agent (Peter Egan) to contend with.