Search - Agency on DVD

Good Movie

Y2bjs Reviews | Melbourne Australia | 12/12/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Now this is a very good movie.I saw this in about 1984 for the first time.Lee Majors acted very well in this movie alongside Robert Mitcham.
He had a quick witted humor in this movie did Lee Majors.
There is one scene which i found quite amusing,when he was trapped in a car by 2 guys who were going to kill him.One of the guys said one of us is about to commit suicide,Lee Majors said i dont suppose its one of you 2.Then he looked around as these bikies pulled up along side of them at a railway crossing.He blew a kiss at one of the bikies as well as shoving his fist up.He opened the window and said to the bikie,hey are you a farmer,the bikie responded,i aint no farmer, he said then whats that pig doing on your back refuring to his girlfriend.A fight broke out and he managed to get to the driving wheel and escaped.
The movie is good and its one i didnt forget.I have this DVD version but the quality of it is a bit poor.Looks like it was transferred from a video tape.But if you cant put up with the occaisional flicker you should enjoy this movie.I would have given it 5 stars if not for the quality of the video."

Exciting Mitchum-Majors suspense film delivers the goods...

Kenneth M. Pizzi | San Mateo, CA United States | 01/15/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Based on a best-selling novel by Paul Gottlieb, and set in the high-pressure veldt of Madison Avenue's advertising jungle (but actually fimed in Montreal, Canada), Mitchum and Majors both star in this provocative thriller about the effects of subliminal messages in TV commercials.

At the time the film was released (1980), an investigative reporter named Wilson Bryan Key published a book entitled "Subliminal Seduction" that took the advertising industry to task for allegedly inserting subliminal messages in print advertising and a Congressional investigation and hearing followed. Nonetheless, the implications for a thriller were undoubtedly in the making for a exciting motion picture.

"Agency" takes the story an exciting step further. When media manipulation and unscrupulous politicians combine, agency owner Ted Quinn and his minions, using technology and subliminal messages, hatch a devious scheme to persuade the unsuspecting public to vote for Quinn's (Mitchum) hand-picked candidate.

Despite a transfer that looks like its been pirated off a VHS tape, the film is fun to watch. In his later years and no longer the leading man commanding starring roles in A-list movies, Mitchum sought to embrace more character types akin to crooked sheriffs and corrupt corporate titans. "Agency" is such an example.

Majors, then just breaking into feature films with the forgettable "The Norseman" (1979) and a very successful run on ABC-TV as "The Six Million Dollar Man," is fairly well-cast as the creative head at Quinn's agency who begins to suspect that Quinn is more than just another corporate suit running the company who will do anything, including murder, to keep his trade secrets. The same year, Majors would star opposite Burgess Meredith and Chris Makespeace in the now-forgotten sci-fi film "The Last Race."

Supporting cast with Valerie Perrine as Majors' love interest, is adequate, and she mangaes to infuse some scenes with charm and humor. The actress, the same year, would go on to play a coveted role opposite Gene Hackman in the 1980 blockbuster "Superman". It is a pity an enjoyable film like this is not digitally remastered with interviews and extras.

The photo of Majors on the slipcase of the DVD is a bit misleading; in the film Majors sports a well trimmed beard. This photo is obviously from Major's stint as TV's bionic man sporting his trademark red tracksuit!"