Venice, Spies, and Some Very Old Antiques

Should you watch it?

If you have a soft spot for grainy, old-fashioned spy stories, maybe. If you need pacing faster than a brisk walk, you’ll probably want to skip this one.

It is definitely for the crowd that likes their espionage with a bit of polite dialogue and a lot of staring at fancy furniture. If you want high-octane action, you're looking at the wrong map.

Venice looks nice, I guess

The whole thing feels like a strange time capsule. Watching this alongside Le secret des Woronzeff makes you realize how much the studio wanted to double-dip on production costs back then. It’s a very specific kind of efficiency.

The antiques dealer is the best part of the movie. He’s got that shifty look that you only get from actors who really enjoy playing the bad guy. Every time he touches a vase or a painting, you just know he’s hiding a microfilm or a secret map inside it.

The secret agent, on the other hand? A bit stiff. He spends a lot of the movie looking like he’s trying to remember if he left the oven on back in Paris. It’s charming in a way.

• The lighting in the antique shop is way too moody for someone just selling clocks.
• I swear the same background extra walks past the canal three separate times.
• The dialogue feels like it was translated twice, but in a fun way.

There’s a moment near the middle where they sit down for tea that goes on for an eternity. It’s meant to be tense, I think? But honestly, I just started looking at the wallpaper patterns.

It’s not exactly The Day in terms of intensity. It feels much smaller, almost like a stage play that decided to wander outside for a bit of fresh air. 🎭

If you find yourself stuck on a rainy Sunday, it’s a fine way to kill an hour or so. Just don’t expect it to change your life or anything.

Also, the music. It’s just a bit too loud during the quiet parts. Like someone is constantly nudging you to pay attention to the plot.