The List of Adrian Messenger

This deft, elusive whodunit takes place in postwar Britain, yet its logic of concealment, mystery, and deception is arguably closer to a 19th-century detective story than a World War II suspense thriller. As a retired intelligence officer enlisted to track down a killer who adopts a new disguise for each of his victims, George C. Scott is plunged into a fog-drenched world of fox hunts, country houses, and hidden bombs. Familiar movie-star faces—including Tony Curtis, Frank Sinatra, Robert Mitchum, and Burt Lancaster—keep popping up on the fringes of the movie hidden behind heavy makeup, until a final round of unmaskings gives up the game.