Operation C.I.A.

In the tense atmosphere of the 1960s, a new CIA recruit is sent to Saigon with a mission that could tilt the balance of a volatile moment in history. He arrives into a city thick with political intrigue, where informants weave lies and danger lurks behind every doorway. His assignment is clear yet dangerous: stop a planned political assassination that could destabilize fragile alliances. As the clock ticks, he contends with pressure from colleagues and adversaries who want different outcomes, testing his resolve and his loyalty to an agency that weighs risk against national interests. The operation unfolds among neon signs, coded messages, and a shifting web of loyalties that refuse to stay still under stress.

Released in 1965 and directed by Christian Nyby, Operation C.I.A. is built around a screenplay by Peer J. Oppenheimer and Bill S. Ballinger. The story places a young CIA operative in Saigon to confront a dangerous political scheme.

Box office figures for Operation C.I.A. are not widely documented, and worldwide grosses are not readily available. The film functions more as a mid-budget thriller than a blockbuster, relying on atmosphere, suspense and character tension.

There are no widely reported awards or nominations for the film. Burt Reynolds carries much of the screen time, supported by Kieu Chinh and Danielle Aubry, but the project did not become a marquee award contender. In retrospect, it stands as a solid example of its era's espionage mood.

Critics at the time noted its taut pacing and authentic setting, with Saigon depicted as a city of coded messages and restless loyalties. The film foregrounds moral ambiguity in intelligence work, challenges the idea of clear right and wrong, and raises questions about personal risk versus larger political goals. The performances, especially Reynolds, give the narrative ballast even when the plot's mechanisms feel familiar.