IMDb RATING
6.1/10
1.6K
YOUR RATING
When a leak of information in the African section of British Intelligence is discovered, security man Daintry is brought in to investigate.When a leak of information in the African section of British Intelligence is discovered, security man Daintry is brought in to investigate.When a leak of information in the African section of British Intelligence is discovered, security man Daintry is brought in to investigate.
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Did you know
- TriviaAuthor Graham Greene said of his novel "The Human Factor" in his 1980 autobiography "Ways of Escape" that it was "to write a novel of espionage free from the conventional violence, which has not, in spite of James Bond, been a feature of the British Secret Service. I wanted to present the Service unromantically as a way of life, men going daily to their offices to earn their pensions."
- GoofsIn the South African scenes (filmed in Kenya), the cars have Kenyan registration plates.
- Quotes
Maurice Castle: [referring to Davis] He calls all children "little bastards".
Featured review
easy to underestimate
This is an odd film. 'Low-key' is certainly an apt description, and though I don't agree, I can see why some have dismissed it as flat, tedious, etc.
It has stayed in my mind after each viewing - I've seen it twice now on television - more than many other more critically praised films. There's something about the deliberate underplaying, the bland, familiar suburbia of the leading character's house, the politeness, the dog.... The film shows us a non-dramatic world in which dramatic events are being played out in secret, under cover of banal normality. It recalls the hurried departures of Kim Philby and friends from their own domestic lives. It's unsettling: what else might be happening in our own quiet streets?
Personally, I think it's rather wonderful. Clearly it's an ancestor of the brilliant TV adaptations of Le Carre; indeed, it feels more like Le Carre than Greene, which may be why Greene reportedly didn't like it. But it needs to be viewed for what it is: an essay in tension, told in a deliberately chosen style. If you only like action films, it's not for you.
It has stayed in my mind after each viewing - I've seen it twice now on television - more than many other more critically praised films. There's something about the deliberate underplaying, the bland, familiar suburbia of the leading character's house, the politeness, the dog.... The film shows us a non-dramatic world in which dramatic events are being played out in secret, under cover of banal normality. It recalls the hurried departures of Kim Philby and friends from their own domestic lives. It's unsettling: what else might be happening in our own quiet streets?
Personally, I think it's rather wonderful. Clearly it's an ancestor of the brilliant TV adaptations of Le Carre; indeed, it feels more like Le Carre than Greene, which may be why Greene reportedly didn't like it. But it needs to be viewed for what it is: an essay in tension, told in a deliberately chosen style. If you only like action films, it's not for you.
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- Release date
- Country of origin
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- Language
- Also known as
- Der menschliche Faktor
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- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $5,500,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $376,050
- Gross worldwide
- $376,050
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