16th November 1967

Jersey-set film Danger Route opens

Jonas Wilde, a British secret agent with a licence to kill, is dispatched to assassinate a defecting Czech scientist. In the process of successfully killing the scientist, he uncovers a deeper plot to knock off British agents, seemingly organised from Jersey.

In its review of 6 June the following year, the New York Times noted that “what hoists ‘Danger Route’ to the level of pretty good pulp melodrama is the incisive dialogue, especially the clipped direction of Seth Holt, who gathers it all up at about mid-point, and hurls it at the camera.”

A mixed reception

The Mirror had been less impressed, writing the day after its release that “this is a fairly tepid entry from the spy stable… a few kicks but on the whole this might better have been called ‘Danger Routine’.”

The lead character, Wilde, as well as having a licence to kill, has another James Bond connection: actor Richard Johnson who portrayed him had been considered for the role of James Bond when the producers were casting for Doctor No, but he’d been reluctant to sign on for a multi-film deal. Thus, the role went to Sean Connery instead.