ThrillerMysteryCrime

The Formula

- Big Oil. Big Money. Big Mystery. Everyone’s out to make a killing.

While investigating the death of a friend and fellow cop, Los Angeles police officer Barney Caine stumbles across evidence that Nazis created a synthetic alternative to gasoline during World War II. This revelation has the potential to end the established global oil industry, making the formula a very valuable and dangerous piece of information. Eventually, Caine must contend with oil tycoon Adam Steiffel, who clearly has his own agenda regarding the formula.

Release Date : 1980-12-19

Language :EnglishGermanPortugueseSpanish

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : CIP Filmproduktion GmbHMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Production Country : GermanyUnited States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Barney Caine

Original Name : George C. Scott

Gender : Male

Character Name : Adam Steiffel

Original Name : Marlon Brando

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lisa

Original Name : Marthe Keller

Gender : Female

Character Name : Dr. Abraham Esau

Original Name : John Gielgud

Gender : Male

Character Name : Arthur Clements

Original Name : G. D. Spradlin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Kay Neeley

Original Name : Beatrice Straight

Gender : Female

Character Name : General Helmut Kladen / Frank Tedesco

Original Name : Richard Lynch

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hans Lehman

Original Name : John van Dreelen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Major Tom Neeley

Original Name : Robin Clarke

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tony

Original Name : Ike Eisenmann

Gender : Male

Character Name : Geologist #1

Original Name : Marshall Thompson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Assassin

Original Name : Dieter Schidor

Gender : Male

Character Name : Schellenberg

Original Name : Werner Kreindl

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gestapo Captain

Original Name : Jan Niklas

Gender : Male

Character Name : Franz Tauber

Original Name : Wolfgang Preiss

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sgt. Yosuta

Original Name : Calvin Jung

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nolan

Original Name : Alan North

Gender : Male

Character Name : Obermann

Original Name : David Byrd

Gender : Male

Character Name : Siebold

Original Name : Ferdy Mayne

Gender : Male

Character Name : Chauffeur

Original Name : Gerard Murphy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mendosa

Original Name : Francisco Prado

Gender : Male

Character Name : Vince Rizzo

Original Name : Louis Basile

Gender : Male

Character Name : Printman

Original Name : Ric Mancini

Gender : Male

Character Name : U.S. Army Captain

Original Name : Weston Gavin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Geologist #2

Original Name : Craig T. Nelson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Geologist #3

Original Name : Herb Voland

Gender : Male

Character Name : Telex Operator

Original Name : Diane Tyler

Gender : Female

Character Name : Reporter

Original Name : Nathan Roberts

Gender : Male

Reviews

Wuchak

@Wuchak

2021-07-18

_**Odd, talky, convoluted, but worthwhile**_ Released in 1980, "The Formula" is a star-studded crime/thriller about a Los Angeles detective (George C. Scott) who investigates the murder of his friend, a retired cop, which leads to Germany and a Nazi formula for synthetic fuel that big oil naturally wants to suppress at all costs. Marlon Brando plays a shady oil tycoon but only appears for roughly 17 minutes of the almost 2-hour runtime. The film is top-of-the-line as far as cast, location, cinematography and score go. It starts off like a Dirty Harry flick substituting Scott for Eastwood with his Asian sidekick, but the plot's complicated and there's not enough action for Dirty Harry fans. The rest of the film seems like an episode of Columbo mixed with Scott's "Hardcore" (1979) where he goes undercover in Southern California investigating his daughter's disappearance. The highlights include the WW2 & Nazi elements, acting giants Scott and Brando, the lovely Marthe Keller, the rest of the cast, the great locations (California, Germany and Switzerland) and the emphasis on dialogue above thrills, which may be a detriment to some. Regarding the Nazi elements, there's a brief strip club scene in Europe where Nazi imagery is used as a backdrop for the dancers, fittingly showing how yesterday's unspeakable horrors are forgotten by the next generation and utilized for entertainment or recreation. Brando has proved time and again that he has a knack for playing weird, quirky characters ("The Missouri Breaks", "Apocalypse Now", "The Godfather" and "The Island of Dr. Moreau") and he does this here with his portrayal of an oil executive based on Armand Hammer of Occidental Petroleum, but with so-so results. Still, you've gotta give him credit for trying and Brando is always entertaining. The main problem here is the convoluted plot. There are so many names it's hard to keep up. So I recommend using the subtitles as it helps you keep track. Another issue is how the fate of certain people is redundant and therefore becomes predictable (I'd say more, but I don't want to spoil anything). So "The Formula" is a mixed bag, but its strengths outweigh it's weaknesses. It's worthwhile if you're a fan of the stars and if you're in the mood for a thought-provoking, globetrotting crime/drama/thriller that's heavy on talk and light on thrills. GRADE: B-