I knew absolutely nothing about "Hopscotch" before I began watching it, other than knowing it's a Walter Matthau film. However, I am VERY glad I saw it, as it turned out to be incredibly fun and one of the actor's best films...if not his best.

When the story begins, you soon see that Miles (Walter Matthau) is an incredibly talented CIA operative...sort of a super-spy but without the gadgets and hot sex you associate with James Bond. Instead, he's just very bright and unassuming...and does his job well. Unfortunately, his boss (Ned Beatty) is a total fool who has zero respect for the work Miles has done and even demotes him to a desk job! Miles has had enough and simply drops out of circulation for a few days to think about what to do with his life. So, after spending a few days with a rich Austrian lady, Isobel (Glenda Jackson) he hits on a scheme to destroy his boss and get revenge...and it does NOT involve going to work for the Russians! What is this plan? Well, it's very complicated, very clever and very funny....and the plot is very intricate and intelligently written. See the film and see what's next!

I can't say enough about how much I like this movie. There's really nothing I could change and the writing really was clever and spot on throughout the movie. Matthau is wonderful, the soundtrack of classical music (mostly Mozart) is fabulous and the ending made me smile. I have no idea why this film isn't rated higher or isn't considered some sort of dark comedy classic. I nearly scored this one a 10 I liked it so much....though I almost never give out 10s and decided on a well earned 9.

Although Hopscotch is lovingly photographed in many locations around the world and beautifully played by its stars Walter Matthau and Glenda Jackson, I could not quite get into it.

Matthau plays a top CIA man who is stationed in West Germany and who has his corner of the Cold War down to a science. His opposite number for the Russians is Herbert Lom and they hold each other in mutual respect.

That's not good enough for Ned Beatty the new guy in charge who after Matthau recovers secret microfilm from Lom, Beatty wants to know why not terminate Lom. Matthau considers that kind of stupid because he and Lom know each other so well that if that ever happened and the Russians put a new guy in charge, it would take him years to get know a new man's moves as well as Lom. In point of fact by the time this film was made, the whole Cold War had settled into something like this.

But Beatty's a true believer and he relieves Matthau. A move Matthau doesn't take lying down. He writes his memoirs and threatens to reveal all including a lot of embarrassing moments for the CIA. Beatty than makes it a crusade to get Matthau and Matthau with the help of girl Friday Glenda Jackson leads them on a merry chase on two continents.

As ridiculous a fool as Beatty is made out to be, in point of fact he's not wrong. But this was the Seventies, the age of Watergate and as is said in the film, National security is not the all embracing excuse it once was.

As for the ending you'll find almost the same ending in Charley Varrick, a movie that starred Walter Matthau that I liked a lot better.

CIA operative Miles Kendig (Walter Matthau) meets his opponent in the Soviet intelligence in Europe. Despite foiling a Soviet drop, his supervisor Myerson (Ned Beatty) is angry that he allowed the Soviet to escape. Myerson sidelines him and promotes his protégé Joe Cutter (Sam Waterston) in his place. He reconnects with old flame Isobel Von Schoenenberg (Glenda Jackson) and decides to write a tell-all memoir about his CIA activities. Myerson fears CIA secrets being exposed. Kendig plays a cat-and-mouse game to exact revenge.

I really like Myerson destroying his own house. I was hoping for more of that. I couldn't really follow what he's doing half the time. There is a light fun sensibility to the proceedings. Even if I don't love it, this has a good cast and it has its moments.