The Osterman Weekend (1983) – A TV investigative journalist is told by the CIA that his closest friends are actually spies. It appears that they are setting him up to take the fall. Now he has to figure out what to do when they are all coming to his home for the weekend.
Directed by Sam Peckinpaugh Starring – Ruger Hauer, John Hurt, Burt Lancaster, Craig T. Nelson, Dennis Hopper, Chris Sarandon
I don’t know where to even begin with this movie. It’s based on a Robert Ludlum novel (in fact, it was the first Ludlum novel to be turned into a big screen movie), has a veteran director and a solid cast. It even had Lalo Schifrin doing the soundtrack. Yet it never quite comes together.
This was intended as a “comeback” movie for Peckinpaugh. It turned out to be his final movie. Peckinpaugh was ill during the entire shoot. It does feature his familiar slow motion action scenes while avoiding the bloodiness that his trademark bloodiness. Given the rather ponderous pace of the movie, slowing down as much of the action as he chose to didn’t strike me as a good idea.
The real problem is that there is a central question that never gets answered. Why does the CIA agent (John Hurt) choose this group of people? There doesn’t appear to be a connection between what he does and why he is doing it. This lack of storytelling clarity was an issue with Peckinpaugh and the studio from the very beginning. His refusal to make certain changes resulted in the director being fired after shooting was complete. The ending is rather bizarre as well.
I ended up feeling like there was a really good movie waiting to be made that just never made it to the big screen. Gotta slow, rainy afternoon and nothing better to do? You could do worse.
Why I Liked It – The cast puts together some nice work despite the disjointed script.
Why You Will Like It – Same as above. Hurt is wonderful, Nelson holds his own.
Rating – ** 1/2 Almost Worth A Look
Stories Are My Life 
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