Scorpio

Cross is a weathered CIA operative who has spent years in the shadows, pairing often with Jean Laurier, a suave but hard edged French operative known as Scorpio. On their latest mission together the agency makes a brutal choice and orders Scorpio to take down Cross. Caught between a professional code and a personal history, the two veterans find themselves locked in a high stakes game of suspicion, betrayal, and pursuit. The story unfolds as loyalties fracture and every lead seems to twist back on itself, pushing them to weigh where loyalties lie. The tension tightens as risk and doubt mount, and the collaboration that once worked so smoothly begins to crack under pressure, hinting at a hidden conflict ahead.

Released in 1973, Scorpio was directed by Michael Winner and features a screenplay by David W. Rintels and Gerald Wilson, pairing Burt Lancaster and Alain Delon in a sleek espionage thriller that blends hard edged action with European noir sensibility.

Box office details for Scorpio are not widely documented, and the film did not become a major commercial hit upon release. It gathered a modest audience worldwide and has since been appreciated by fans of 70s spy cinema, also abroad.

The pairing of Burt Lancaster with Alain Delon gives Scorpio on screen chemistry that stands out in 1970s espionage cinema. While not a landmark in pop culture, it remains a reference point for international spy collaborations and mid career star vehicles, with crisp production and a score that still resonates.

Critical reception for Scorpio is mixed but appreciates its brisk pace and the performances of Lancaster and Delon. The film treats espionage as a morally gray enterprise driven by loyalty and survival, exploring tension between personal codes and professional duty amid a web of substitutions and doubles.