Hopscotch

On the sly and irreverent side of espionage, Hopscotch follows Miles Kendig, a veteran CIA operative who refuses to play by the rules. After letting a KGB agent slip away, he discovers his own agency intends to quietly retire him. Rather than accept the exit, Kendig wipes his personal records clean and vanishes, slipping into a life of mischief while drafting a memoir that could reveal the hidden methods of the service. His disappearance sparks a high stakes chase as agents across continents try to pin him down, which in turn becomes a lively assertion that government secrecy can be questioned with wit. The pursuit flashes through Austria and other locales, providing a brisk, comic backdrop to the maelstrom.

Directed by Ronald Neame and released in 1980, Hopscotch draws on material from Brian Garfield and Bryan Forbes to stage a globe trotting espionage caper with a wry sensibility and a strong crowd pleasing energy. Matthau and Jackson anchor the comedy with sharp timing.

Box office numbers are not listed in the available data. Because revenue details aren't provided here, it's hard to judge its commercial run, though the film is generally regarded as a solid mid range release for its time. It attracted a familiar ensemble including Glenda Jackson and Sam Waterston.

Walter Matthau supplies a dry wit and a nimble instinct that keep the caper moving as the chase hops city to city. Glenda Jackson holds her own with sharp timing, adding poise to a stylish duo. The film captures a late 70s early 80s mood of witty espionage.

Critics treated Hopscotch as breezy entertainment rather than a weighty thriller. The film leans into the idea that loyalty and morality in espionage are slippery, balancing clever dialogue with action. It toys with the tension between accountability and secret power, asking whether individuals can challenge a system without losing themselves.