s a violinist plays a gentle tune, Harry Hannan (Roy Scheider) and his wife Dorothy (Sandy McLeod) sip coffee at a serene alfresco cantina. In an instant, however, their paradisiacal evening turns disastrous when gangsters engage in a shootout with Harry, killing Dorothy in the process. A few months later, the distraught, depressed man finally believes he can go back out into the world, exiting the sanitarium he’s been stuck in, to resume a “normal” life in New York. “All I need is a little work.”

But the simple ride into the city is plagued by distrust and paranoia. Everyone appears suspicious or deceitful or even murderous. And it is indeed too soon for Harry to land a new assignment from his firm, which has determined he’s on an indefinite – rather than temporary – leave due to the trauma of losing his wife. He’s a secret agent of sorts, but his supercilious boss (Christopher Walken) insists that Harry isn’t ready yet. He needs more time to get his sea legs back. “The hair on the back of my head has been standing up all morning.”

It’s not a case of mistaken identity, but the feeling that everyone is out to get Harry is certainly present. His agency isn’t supporting him either, ignoring his concerns and even subletting his old apartment to a Princeton anthropologist named Ellie Fabian (Janet Margolin). His career, his home, and his sense of purpose have all vanished in quick succession, very much like the setup to a Hitchcockian mystery. And Miklos Rozsa’s score, full of unnerving strings, props up that idea even more.

Of course, with shadowy figures tailing him like assassins, there’s an unavoidable shade of James Bond in the proceedings. Yet the pacing can’t sustain that vibe; it’s a slower-burning series of recollections and complications (but not really any mysteries, aside from a cryptic note, considering that early scenes show exactly who is after the displaced agent and why) that must be examined and dug into, supplemented by a bothersome sidekick who unbelievably wishes to remain entangled – perhaps romantically – in Harry’s increasingly chaotic ordeal (which is additionally troubled by physical tremors and night terrors). She’s strangely invested, while he’s essentially oblivious to her insistence on help and consoling – going so far as to insult her attractiveness.

“You didn’t hear a single thing I said!” It’s almost comical just how much Harry ignores Ellie, until she happens to dress in a vivid red dress, dons some bloodstone earrings, and puts on a dash of makeup, transforming her from a homely librarian into a comely vixen. When they’re not flirting or quarreling, a few secret-agent chases and chills arise (coupled with further Hitchcock references, including a vertiginous bell tower and a shower scene), along with extra characters and clues to unearth machinations that go beyond Harry’s disloyal organization. There is, in fact, a conspiratorial left turn toward the finale that is so bizarre and unfitting (even if not entirely unexpected), that it seems as if a completely different, second film has just begun, culminating in an incredibly over-the-top, unsubtle, practically nonsensical conclusion (set at the scenic Niagara Falls). Ultimately, “Last Embrace” is a tonal and storytelling mess, perpetually uncertain as to what it wants to say or emulate; it can’t merely copy a bunch of other movies and motifs, under the guise of an homage, and hope to present something original or entertaining.

– Mike Massie