Surprise Package is another failure of Stanley Donen with Yul Brynner! Although Stanley Donen's first work with Yul Brynner (1959) was not very successful, Donen decided to work with Brynner again. However, the second film - the crime comedy "Surprise Pack" (1960) - was even worse than the first.
Once thriving gangster Nico March (Yul Brynner) is now captured and deported from the United States to a Greek island. On the island, he meets the bribery policeman Miralez (Eric Polman) and the Russian Tsar Paul II in exile (Noel Coward), who wants to sell him his crown.
Nico himself wants to kidnap her, in which his lover Gaby Rogers, a dancer, agrees to help him, who came to him on the island and constantly attracts (literally) shots on her head when she approaches Nico.
The plot of the film looked promising and, if desired, it would be possible to remove something from this, not inferior in any way to "In jazz only girls" (1959), "Paris when it's hot" (1964) and "How to steal a million" (1966).
However, for this it was necessary to do a huge job: refresh the script with bright dialogues and more accurately prescribe the images of the main characters, add songs, use color film and in general - turn everything into a musical - then even a masterpiece could come out.
But Stanley Donen in 1960 clearly was not inclined to shoot masterpieces, which is why he shot, probably, one of the most unsuccessful films in his directorial career, if not the most unsuccessful.
Despite the promising plot, the film itself is incredibly static and boring - the director just tells an ordinary story, while only a couple of times in the film adding tension and inserting only a few funny moments, which were not enough to revive so sluggish spectacle. Well, finally, the very ending of the film deals a crushing blow to the already weak level of staging this creation.
The actors can’t help the film. Yul Brynner plays a tough gangster and even dresses (including a hat), as if trying to copy Frank Sinatra, who, by the way, was much more suitable for this role. All attempts of Brynner to play under the cool mafia look too unconvincing.
Mitzi Gaynor tries her best, but her role gives the actress little opportunity to prove herself. Noel Coward plays as if he had lost interest in the film before he even uttered the first sentence of his role. Although during the performance of the duet number with Gaynor 'Surprise Package', he noticeably animates - as well as the picture itself, along with the actors.
The best moments of the film include the initial 3-minute credits, which were made by the authors of the film very inventively. Also, the best moments of the film include the aforementioned musical number 'Surprise Package', fervently performed Mitzi Gaynor and Noel Coward
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Summing up, we can say that this is a film that has the potential to shoot - but the result is almost nothing. I am not sure that this spectacle is worth anyone recommending to watch, except for ardent fans of Stanley Donen. Thank you very much.
3 out of 10