College professor Peck gets drawn into complicated intrigues and assassinations revolving around an unnamed Middle Eastern country.
Enjoyable enough comedy thriller is an OK way to pass the time, but the plot is both underdeveloped and needlessly complicated, accompanied by some awfully risible dialogue. Some of it is actually breathtakingly narmy (Kieron Moore's beatnik Arab, Peck bullfighting traffic on the M1, etc.) It also would have been nice if anyone involved had any knowledge of either Middle Eastern culture or Egyptology, neither of which are evident in the finished product. There are some nice set-pieces, and Christopher Challis' cinematography is excellent, but a lot of the visual flourishes have obviously been inserted to obscure how half-baked the whole thing is. Go watch Charade instead - it's basically the same film, only with Donen putting effort in to earn his paycheck.
Thanks to Philly for helping identify many extras!