A Fine Pair

This is hardly the sort of assignment that would suit a former assistant to Michelangelo Antonioni, so it's hardly surprising director Francesco Maselli never comes to terms with either the tone or the pacing of this crass crime caper. The basic premise is sound enough, with Claudia Cardinale suckering New York cop Rock Hudson into "returning" the priceless jewels that a thief of her acquaintance has stolen from an Austrian villa. The break-in is typically intricate, but, with Hudson looking exceedingly bored, the romantic by-play between the leads is tiresome. No wonder it's most often seen in a heavily cut 89-minute version.