The Man Who Knew Too Little
Encyclopedia
The Man Who Knew Too Little is a 1997
American
comedy
espionage film starring Bill Murray
, directed by Jon Amiel
, and written by Robert Farrar
and Howard Franklin
. The film is based on Farrar's novel Watch that Man, and the title is a parody of Alfred Hitchcock
's 1934 film The Man Who Knew Too Much
and its 1956 remake
of the same title.
, Iowa
to England
to spend his birthday with his brother, James (Peter Gallagher
), the same evening James is to hold a business dinner. Though James is all too happy to spend time with Wally, his presence threatens to sour the evening, and so James sets Wallace up with an interactive improv theatre
business, the "Theatre of Life," which promises to treat the participant as a character in a crime drama. Before the night begins, James hands Wallace a pair of Ambassador cigars, promising to "fire them up" before midnight in celebration of Wally's birthday. Trouble begins when Wallace answers a phone call intended for a hitman
at the same payphone that the Theatre of Life uses for its act.
The contact, Sir Roger Daggenhurst (Richard Wilson
), mistakes Wallace as a hitman he'd hired, named Spencer- thinking it's part of the act, Wallace uses that identity. The real Spencer (Terry O'Neill
) picks up the phone call meant for Wally and murders one of the actors, prompting a search for Wallace. Sir Roger, his assistant Hawkins (Simon Chandler
), the British Defense Minister Gilbert Embleton (John Standing
), and a Russian intelligence member Sergei (Nicholas Woodeson
) plan to detonate an explosive device (disguised as a Matryoshka doll
) during a dinner between British and Russian dignitaries, in order to rekindle the Cold War
and replace their aging technology.
Still believing he's acting with the Theatre of Life even after he is comedically mugged, Wally meets Lori (Joanne Whalley
), Embleton's call-girl- Lori plans to blackmail Embleton for a substantial amount of money using letters that detail the assassination plot. Spencer was hired specifically to eliminate her and destroy the letters. Wallace scares off Embleton when he arrives to look for them, and Spencer is driven off by him and Lori. Fearing their plot will be revealed Daggenhurst hires two "plumbers", while Sergei hires now-inactive spy Boris "The Butcher" Blavasky (Alfred Molina
), all charged with eliminating "Spencer". Boris succeeds in killing the real Spencer, but Wallace and Lori come back, retrieving the letters.
When Wallace uses Spencer's communicator during a conversation with Daggenhurst, he tells him that "I know a couple of guys who're hoping to fire up some big Ambassadors, at 11:59", referring to James promise- but since they believe words refer to the assassination plot, both sides believe he is an American spy that has caught on to their scheme. After a police chase ends with Daggenhurst convincing the police that Wallace is a spy, Daggenhurst offers Wallace and Lori 3 million British pounds in return for the letters, at the same hotel where the dinner is taking place. This is a ruse to capture them both and kill them off. All the while Wally gets close to his "co-star" Lori, who confesses she'd love to study acting once they're paid.
James is contacted by Wally moments before he is captured, prompting James to call the Theatre for more time- by this point, the police have interrogated the actors and are waiting for answers from James, who thinks the officer he's talking to is an uncooperative actor. Believing James is an accomplice to the murder, they send a strike team to foil what they believe was a terrorist plot. However, James has already left to seek Wally at the hotel, having seen the news report that Wallace had murdered an actor. Wally meets Boris face-to-face, but Boris' attempts to find out who he's working for with truth serum fails (though in reality it had succeeded when Wally tells them he works for Blockbuster Video). Boris opts for torture by Dr. Rudmilla Kropotkin (Geraldine James
), but Wally and Lori escape from their clumsy guards. Lori and Wally separate, while James is captured while looking for Wally- he is sent to be tortured by Kropotkin. Wally unwittingly finds himself as part of a group of Russian folk dancers, using the Matryoshka doll bomb in the act, unwittingly disarming the device seconds before it goes off, unwittingly blocking a poison dart from Boris and completely stealing the show with his improvised dancing.
Realizing their plot has failed, Sergei and Daggenhurst bring out two bags containing the promised 3 million for Wallace and Lori and release James, who is exhausted but otherwise fine after his torture session. Boris congratulates Wallace for his impressive covert skills and gives him a souvenir pistol, telling Wallace he will continue his butcher shop business. Sergei and Daggenhurst attempt to escape with half the money and discover Wally's doll, which they believe is only a normal one he picked out for himself. They are proven wrong when they realign the doll, reactivating the bomb and blowing them up, just as Wally and Lori share a kiss.
Some time later on an exotic beach Wally unwittingly incapacitates a spy (named Venkman, a homage to Murray's character
in Ghostbusters
), passing a test by an unknown American espionage group. Believing he is capable of being a top agent, they offer him a position on "the team". Thinking that they wish to make him a movie star, Wallace accepts their offer. The movie ends with Wallace persuading them to act like dogs, desperate to have him join them.
1997 in film
-Events:* The original Star Wars trilogy's Special Editions are released.* Production begins on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.* Titanic becomes the first film to gross US$1,000,000,000 at the box office making it the highest grossing film in history until Avatar broke the record in 2010.*...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
espionage film starring Bill Murray
Bill Murray
William James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
, directed by Jon Amiel
Jon Amiel
Jon Amiel is an English film director who has since the early 1980s worked in film and television in both the UK and the US.-Early life:...
, and written by Robert Farrar
Robert Farrar
-External links:*...
and Howard Franklin
Howard Franklin
Howard Franklin is an American screenwriter and film director, most well-known for the 1990 film Quick Change, his collaboration with Bill Murray...
. The film is based on Farrar's novel Watch that Man, and the title is a parody of Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's 1934 film The Man Who Knew Too Much
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 film)
The Man Who Knew Too Much is a British suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, featuring Peter Lorre, and released by Gaumont British. It was one of the most successful and critically acclaimed films of Hitchcock's British period....
and its 1956 remake
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film)
The Man Who Knew Too Much is a suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring James Stewart and Doris Day. The film is a remake in widescreen VistaVision and Technicolor of Hitchcock's 1934 film of the same name....
of the same title.
Plot
Wallace Ritchie (Murray) flies from Des MoinesDes Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to spend his birthday with his brother, James (Peter Gallagher
Peter Gallagher
Peter Killian Gallagher is an American actor, musician and writer. Since 1980, Gallagher has played many roles in numerous Hollywood films. He starred as Sandy Cohen in the television drama series The O.C. from 2003 to 2007...
), the same evening James is to hold a business dinner. Though James is all too happy to spend time with Wally, his presence threatens to sour the evening, and so James sets Wallace up with an interactive improv theatre
Improvisational theatre
Improvisational theatre takes many forms. It is best known as improv or impro, which is often comedic, and sometimes poignant or dramatic. In this popular, often topical art form improvisational actors/improvisers use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously...
business, the "Theatre of Life," which promises to treat the participant as a character in a crime drama. Before the night begins, James hands Wallace a pair of Ambassador cigars, promising to "fire them up" before midnight in celebration of Wally's birthday. Trouble begins when Wallace answers a phone call intended for a hitman
Hitman
A hitman is a person hired to kill another person.- Hitmen in organized crime :Hitmen are largely linked to the world of organized crime. Hitmen are hired people who kill people for money. Notable examples include Murder, Inc., Mafia hitmen and Richard Kuklinski.- Other cases involving hitmen...
at the same payphone that the Theatre of Life uses for its act.
The contact, Sir Roger Daggenhurst (Richard Wilson
Richard Wilson
Ian Colquhoun Wilson OBE better known as Richard Wilson, is a Scottish actor, theatre director and broadcaster, best known for playing Victor Meldrew in the popular BBC sitcom One Foot in the Grave. He currently appears in the BBC drama Merlin.- Life and career :Wilson was born in Greenock, Scotland...
), mistakes Wallace as a hitman he'd hired, named Spencer- thinking it's part of the act, Wallace uses that identity. The real Spencer (Terry O'Neill
Terry O'Neill
Terry O'Neill may refer to:* Terry O'Neill , American attorney, professor and activist for social justice, president of NOW* Terry O'Neill , Australian rules footballer* Terry O'Neill , British martial artist and actor...
) picks up the phone call meant for Wally and murders one of the actors, prompting a search for Wallace. Sir Roger, his assistant Hawkins (Simon Chandler
Simon Chandler
Simon Chandler is an English television actor; his career began in 1976, and more recently he usually plays senior establishment characters such as Members of Parliament or senior civil servants. He has appeared in lead roles in Judge John Deed and other dramas, as well as appearing in theatre...
), the British Defense Minister Gilbert Embleton (John Standing
John Standing
Sir John Ronald Leon Standing, 4th Baronet is an English actor.-Early life:Standing was born John Ronald Leon in London, the son of Kay Hammond , an actress, and Sir Ronald George Leon, a stockbroker...
), and a Russian intelligence member Sergei (Nicholas Woodeson
Nicholas Woodeson
Nicholas Woodeson is an English film and television actor.-Education:Woodeson attended Marlborough College and studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.-Film:...
) plan to detonate an explosive device (disguised as a Matryoshka doll
Matryoshka doll
A matryoshka doll is a Russian nesting doll which is a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside the other. The first Russian nested doll set was carved in 1890 by Vasily Zvyozdochkin from a design by Sergey Malyutin, who was a folk crafts painter at Abramtsevo...
) during a dinner between British and Russian dignitaries, in order to rekindle the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and replace their aging technology.
Still believing he's acting with the Theatre of Life even after he is comedically mugged, Wally meets Lori (Joanne Whalley
Joanne Whalley
-Early life:Whalley was born in Salford but brought up in Stockport where she studied at the Braeside School of Speech and Drama, Marple.Whalley first appeared as a child in How We Used To Live and bit parts in soap operas, especially Coronation Street and Emmerdale...
), Embleton's call-girl- Lori plans to blackmail Embleton for a substantial amount of money using letters that detail the assassination plot. Spencer was hired specifically to eliminate her and destroy the letters. Wallace scares off Embleton when he arrives to look for them, and Spencer is driven off by him and Lori. Fearing their plot will be revealed Daggenhurst hires two "plumbers", while Sergei hires now-inactive spy Boris "The Butcher" Blavasky (Alfred Molina
Alfred Molina
Alfred Molina is a British-born American actor. He first came to public attention in the UK for his supporting role in the 1987 film Prick Up Your Ears...
), all charged with eliminating "Spencer". Boris succeeds in killing the real Spencer, but Wallace and Lori come back, retrieving the letters.
When Wallace uses Spencer's communicator during a conversation with Daggenhurst, he tells him that "I know a couple of guys who're hoping to fire up some big Ambassadors, at 11:59", referring to James promise- but since they believe words refer to the assassination plot, both sides believe he is an American spy that has caught on to their scheme. After a police chase ends with Daggenhurst convincing the police that Wallace is a spy, Daggenhurst offers Wallace and Lori 3 million British pounds in return for the letters, at the same hotel where the dinner is taking place. This is a ruse to capture them both and kill them off. All the while Wally gets close to his "co-star" Lori, who confesses she'd love to study acting once they're paid.
James is contacted by Wally moments before he is captured, prompting James to call the Theatre for more time- by this point, the police have interrogated the actors and are waiting for answers from James, who thinks the officer he's talking to is an uncooperative actor. Believing James is an accomplice to the murder, they send a strike team to foil what they believe was a terrorist plot. However, James has already left to seek Wally at the hotel, having seen the news report that Wallace had murdered an actor. Wally meets Boris face-to-face, but Boris' attempts to find out who he's working for with truth serum fails (though in reality it had succeeded when Wally tells them he works for Blockbuster Video). Boris opts for torture by Dr. Rudmilla Kropotkin (Geraldine James
Geraldine James
Geraldine James, OBE is an English actress.-Early life and family:James was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, to a cardiologist father...
), but Wally and Lori escape from their clumsy guards. Lori and Wally separate, while James is captured while looking for Wally- he is sent to be tortured by Kropotkin. Wally unwittingly finds himself as part of a group of Russian folk dancers, using the Matryoshka doll bomb in the act, unwittingly disarming the device seconds before it goes off, unwittingly blocking a poison dart from Boris and completely stealing the show with his improvised dancing.
Realizing their plot has failed, Sergei and Daggenhurst bring out two bags containing the promised 3 million for Wallace and Lori and release James, who is exhausted but otherwise fine after his torture session. Boris congratulates Wallace for his impressive covert skills and gives him a souvenir pistol, telling Wallace he will continue his butcher shop business. Sergei and Daggenhurst attempt to escape with half the money and discover Wally's doll, which they believe is only a normal one he picked out for himself. They are proven wrong when they realign the doll, reactivating the bomb and blowing them up, just as Wally and Lori share a kiss.
Some time later on an exotic beach Wally unwittingly incapacitates a spy (named Venkman, a homage to Murray's character
Peter Venkman
Peter Venkman, Ph.D. is a fictional character from the Ghostbusters franchise. He is a parapsychologist and member of the Ghostbusters, appearing in the films Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II and in the animated television series The Real Ghostbusters...
in Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters is a 1984 American science fiction comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The film stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, and Rick Moranis and follows three eccentric parapsychologists in New York City, who start a...
), passing a test by an unknown American espionage group. Believing he is capable of being a top agent, they offer him a position on "the team". Thinking that they wish to make him a movie star, Wallace accepts their offer. The movie ends with Wallace persuading them to act like dogs, desperate to have him join them.
Cast
- Bill MurrayBill MurrayWilliam James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
- Wallace Ritchie - Peter GallagherPeter GallagherPeter Killian Gallagher is an American actor, musician and writer. Since 1980, Gallagher has played many roles in numerous Hollywood films. He starred as Sandy Cohen in the television drama series The O.C. from 2003 to 2007...
- James Ritchie - Joanne WhalleyJoanne Whalley-Early life:Whalley was born in Salford but brought up in Stockport where she studied at the Braeside School of Speech and Drama, Marple.Whalley first appeared as a child in How We Used To Live and bit parts in soap operas, especially Coronation Street and Emmerdale...
- Lori - Alfred MolinaAlfred MolinaAlfred Molina is a British-born American actor. He first came to public attention in the UK for his supporting role in the 1987 film Prick Up Your Ears...
- Boris 'The Butcher' Blavasky - Richard Wilson - Sir Roger Daggenhurst
- Geraldine JamesGeraldine JamesGeraldine James, OBE is an English actress.-Early life and family:James was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, to a cardiologist father...
- Dr Ludmilla Kropotkin - John StandingJohn StandingSir John Ronald Leon Standing, 4th Baronet is an English actor.-Early life:Standing was born John Ronald Leon in London, the son of Kay Hammond , an actress, and Sir Ronald George Leon, a stockbroker...
- Gilbert Embleton - Anna ChancellorAnna Chancellor-Family:Chancellor was born in Richmond, London, England, the daughter of the Hon. Mary Alice Jolliffe and John Paget Chancellor. Through her mother's mother, Lady Perdita Rose Mary Asquith, Chancellor is the great-granddaughter of The Hon. Raymond Aquith and the great-great-granddaughter of Prime...
- Barbara Ritchie - Nicholas WoodesonNicholas WoodesonNicholas Woodeson is an English film and television actor.-Education:Woodeson attended Marlborough College and studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.-Film:...
- Sergei - Simon ChandlerSimon ChandlerSimon Chandler is an English television actor; his career began in 1976, and more recently he usually plays senior establishment characters such as Members of Parliament or senior civil servants. He has appeared in lead roles in Judge John Deed and other dramas, as well as appearing in theatre...
- Hawkins - Cliff ParisiCliff ParisiCliff Parisi is an English actor of Italian descent, largely recognised for his performance as Rick 'Minty' Peterson in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders.-Career:...
- Uri - Dexter FletcherDexter FletcherDexter Fletcher is an English actor. He is best known for his role in Guy Ritchie film, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels as well as television roles in such shows as the dramedy Hotel Babylon, the critically acclaimed HBO series Band of Brothers and earlier in his career, the children's show...
- Otto - Eddie MarsanEddie MarsanEdward Maurice C. "Eddie" Marsan is an English actor.-Early life:Marsan was born in Stepney, London to a working class family; his father was a lorry driver and his mother a school dinner lady and teacher's assistant...
- Mugger #1