Mirage

Falling 27 floors isn't all that bad. It's the landing that'll kill you every time. David is starting to remember

When the lights suddenly go out in a New York skyscraper at dusk, two things happen. Charles Calvin, noted world peace advocate, falls to his death from his 27th floor office. It's a long way down. And David Stillwell (Gregory Peck) finds himself wandering around the building, convinced he's an accountant at Garrison, Ltd., but not sure where he is. People he doesn't know seem to recognize him, yet the only person he knows is his boss, Sylvester Josephson (Kevin McCarthy), the man David is sure hired him as an accountant two years earlier. All the while people are moving around holding candles or flashlights, trying to decide if they should try walking down 27 flights of stairs or join the Braille party (it's played in the dark by touch) in a boardroom. Stillwell makes it to his apartment. He finds the refrigerator bare and a thug holding a revolver. The next day (having beaten the thug and dragged him out), David realizes he has no memory of the last two years. He winds up hiring Ted Caselle, a private investigator (Walter Matthau), to find out what's going on. All David knows is that there is an attractive young woman (Diane Baker) who shows up whenever people around him get killed. As time goes by, there are more and more corpses. There's also a shadowy presence referred to as "The Major," a man we later learn has the improbable name of Crawford Gilcuttie. The Major seems to be a man prepared to protect his power, his business interests and his prospects.

"Unconscious amnesia can exist for an hour or two, sometimes on rare occasions a day or two. But two years? Impossible!" says a doctor David went to for help. A couple of days later, David begins to remember...

Mirage is a nifty piece of thriller/murder entertainment. It works as well as it does because of a clever story of conspiracy, egomania and cold-blooded killing. Mirage is not as stylish as Charade, just about as well-crafted as Spellbound (including the amnesia but without the psychobabble), more intriguing than Arabesque...and just as nice a murderous, vicious puzzle as the three of them.

Unfortunately, there are few sparks between Diane Baker, the female lead, and Peck. But Peck does have old-fashioned star quality, and it easily carries him and the movie through. The movie depends on Peck...but also on two other actors. Kevin McCarthy and Walter Matthau. McCarthy plays an opportunistic, weak business executive more full of "ciao, baby" than ethics. He was a fine actor, at 94 he still is, and never was able to get beyond star-quality character roles. Matthau is Matthau, likeable, skeptical, unique. This was the last non-lead movie part he played (although he gets an end-of-credits billing that's as big as Peck's). The two perk things up every time we see or hear them. So do the three killers with unpleasant personalities who are after David. They're played by a chortling Jack Weston, a ruthless George Kennedy and an ancient, complaining House Jameson.

Peck centers the movie. Matthau and McCarthy give it a lot of juice. Only one thing really dates Mirage. When David Stillwell visits a doctor's office, the receptionist looks at him and says, "Go right in. The doctor is waiting to see you." Been a long time since that's happened.

The movie is available in DVD as one of six in the Gregory Peck Film Collection set. The DVD has no extras. The movie was shot in New York City, and all those wet, crowded streets, financial district towers and tenements look just fine. November 14, 2008

When the DVD?

This is one of those suspense movies that also has something to say. "If you not willing to commit, you're just taking up space." On top of that, I've always had a crush on Diane Baker. On top of that, the acting is great. So where the's DVD???? August 28, 2008

Release on DVD Please

A great thriller from the 1960s but a film that is more like the film noir genre of the 1950s. The black and white cinematography adds to the suspense and I'm glad they decided to film in b&w rather than the color being used more often in the early 1960s. Solid understated performance from Peck. And a great quirky performance from Walter Matthau as a Private Investigator.

I have it taped from many years ago from when AMC used to play classics. The tape is breaking down. Please bring on the dvd. January 13, 2008

Not A Classic of the Genre, but Entirely Watchable

"Mirage" is an absorbing and complex thriller about an amnesiac who is trying to piece together the past before he ends up dead. This is an overly familiar plot device now, but in 1965 it was all the rage (James Garner starred in a less sinister film called "Mr. Buddwing" the same year based on a very similar idea). Gregory Peck does a good job of looking suitably concerned and befuddled, and Walter Matthau provides needed comic relief. Edward Dmytryk's black-and-white directorial approach is a matter of taste, but does help to accentuate some of the darker undertones of the story. The only thing missing is some of the tongue-in-cheek fun that should be part of this kind of crazy mystery (that, and a more interesting leading lady, because Diane Baker isn't gonna make anyone forget Audrey Hepburn). However, if I really want that, I can just watch "Charade," or even "Arabesque," if I'm really in the mood for Gregory Peck. There are elements of those films in this one, but somehow it doesn't add up to quite as much here. It'll hold your interest while it's on, though. March 21, 2007

A 60's Classic!

Yes, this IS a great movie! Jack Weston had always been a favorite character actor of mine, and here he plays the role of a heavy (no pun intended) --- with dashes of humor. Walter Matthau's role is also a gem... who perhaps was one of my all-time favorite actors.

I bought the original video release of Mirage in the 80's. Still have it today, and wouldn't sell it for anything! May 15, 2005

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