Hopscotch

I suppose this is supposed to be a thriller, but something about the presence of Walter Matthau in the central role makes it feel more like a shaggy, formless but pleasant farcical take on a thriller. Which is strange, because Matthau was a legitimate threat in Charade and capable of more dramatic depths in films like Bigger Than Life or The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. Doesn’t matter in the end, Hopscotch is a strange but charming little movie.

From the mind of author Brian Garfield, who also wrote Death Wish, Hopscotch also finds one singular man rebelling against the established order, but unlike Death Wish this lone man isn’t interested in mercenary violence. No, he’d rather annoy his enemies by out-smarting them at every single turn. This guy isn’t just a few steps ahead, he’s several floors up with enough time to occasionally look down at the people chasing after him and laugh at how slowly they’re gaining traction.

And that is the entire movie in a nutshell, in which Matthau leads his pursuers on a wild chase across continents, setting up scenarios for one outcome while delivering an entirely different one. There’s other actors on-screen, but none of them do much. Pity, as the supporting players are made up of Glenda Jackson, Ned Beatty, Sam Waterson, and other fantastic character actors. But the film belongs to Matthau and his particular hang-dog charisma and charms. It’s a strange picaresque, but ultimately enjoyable in how wafer-thin it is.