Review: Walk Don’t Run (1966)

Directed by: Charles Walters | 114 minutes | comedy, romance | Actors: Cary Grant, Samantha Eggar, Jim Hutton, John Standing, Miiko Taka, Ted Hartley, Ben Astar, George Takei, Teru Shimada, Lois Kiuchi

Tokyo 1964. Industrialist Sir William Rutland arrived in Tokyo two days earlier than expected. The city is preparing for the Olympic Games and there is therefore no room left in the hotel. In fact, all accommodation is occupied throughout the city. Rutland goes to the embassy to ask if they would like to arrange accommodation for him for those two nights. While on-duty officer Julius P. Haversack (John Standing) calls around to colleagues, Rutland sees an ad on the bulletin board to temporarily share an apartment in the overcrowded city.

The single Christine Easton is totally taken aback that a man responds to her ad instead as she expected a woman, but before she realizes what is happening Rutland has already taken his temporary residence. Fearful of commenting on the fact that as a woman she only shares an apartment with an older man, she does not know what she is doing when Rutland offered Olympic athlete Steve Davis shelter in her apartment the next day, who, like him, for two days. arrived in town too early. Rutland then tries to link the two, but Christine is engaged to the rock-solid Julius P. Haversack and sees nothing in a life on the road with Steve Davis. No matter how much she likes him.

Anyone who expects a slow-moving, elderly comedian on his way back, who in his last film role is still a little bit under his good name, will be very disappointed. Incredibly good and witty in his role as an elderly matchmaker, Cary Grant once again displays an inimitable sense of timing that makes all the jokes sparkle. If he were to best his lyrics a little earlier or later, the magic would be gone, but now it hits every time. So handsome. And when it comes to facial expressions and jokers, he is, as always, unsurpassed. He gets the help of a good screenplay with running gags and, in addition to all the romance, mild mockery and good dialogues. The fact that he has to share an apartment with someone who has arranged her morning from minute to minute and has exactly divided his and her time in the bathroom or kitchen into measured portions, is of course also a piece of cake for him. It makes watching the morning ritual in the bathroom and kitchen a joy. The fact that the other actors are equally engaging and witty makes the film complete.

A brilliant end to an impressive film career of one of the greatest actors on the silver screen. The fact that you can still make people laugh out loud, while you have already had such a long career, and you also give your fellow actors the space to shine so generously, then you are very special. And that is of course Cary Grant.