Our Man in Havana (1960)

85% of critics liked it
(13 reviews)
76% of users liked it
(1,428 ratings)

Graham Greene wrote this witty comedy inspired by Cold War paranoia. Jim Wormald (Alec Guiness) is an Englishman selling vacuum cleaners in Cuba on the cusp of the revolution. Hawthorne (Noel Coward), a British intelligence agent, is looking for information on Cuban affairs and recruits Jim to act… More Graham Greene wrote this witty comedy inspired by Cold War paranoia. Jim Wormald (Alec Guiness) is an Englishman selling vacuum cleaners in Cuba on the cusp of the revolution. Hawthorne (Noel Coward), a British intelligence agent, is looking for information on Cuban affairs and recruits Jim to act as a spy. Jim has no experience in espionage and no useful knowledge to pass along, but Hawthorne is willing to pay for his services, and since Jim's daughter Milly (Jo Morrow) has expensive tastes, he can use the money. To keep Hawthorne happy (and his paychecks coming in), he turns in reports on the Cuban revolution that are copied from public documents, "hires" additional agents who don't exist, and presents blueprints of secret weapons that are actually schematics of his carpet sweepers. However, Hawthorne and associate "C" (Ralph Richardson) think that Jim is doing splendid work and encourage him to continue; meanwhile, Capt. Segura (Ernie Kovacs), the elegantly corrupt chief of police, has been fooled by Jim's charade into believing he's a real spy -- and has also become attracted to Milly. Our Man in Havana also features Burl Ives and Maureen O'Hara in supporting roles. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 47 min.
Directed By: Carol Reed
Written By: Graham Greene (I)
Genres: Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1959 Wide
On DVD: Feb 3, 2009

Critic Reviews

, TIME Magazine
The mixture of mayhem and heehaw is particularly tricky to handle, and not even the sure hand of Director Reed has always achieved a smooth blend.
Variety Staff, Variety
Polished, diverting entertainment, brilliant in its comedy but falling apart towards the end when undertones of drama, tragedy and message crop up.
Bosley Crowther, New York Times
For those who regard Alec Guinness as the niftiest little con man on the screen, we will guarantee Our Man in Havana to be a source of immeasurable fun.
Don Druker, Chicago Reader
Guinness is in above-average form, and Ernie Kovacs is wonderful as the callous but charming government official with a soft spot for Guinness's daughter.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
As hilarious as it is absurd, this droll comedy about spies in Cuba stars the prodigiously talented Guinness.
David Parkinson, Empire Magazine
So much potential in casting, script etc... but the translation from the book didn't quite make sense on screen.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
At once very much of its time and surprisingly modern and relevant to today.
Sean Axmaker, Turner Classic Movies Online
... a dryly witty satire of the spy game.
James Plath, Movie Metropolis
Fans of Cold War films need to add this to their libraries, plain and simple. It's an intelligent script that drives the action, and winning performances that sell the satire.
Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
The 'Martini Movies' DVD release provides this black and white movie in its original widescreen format (2.35:1 aspect ratio), with sound in Dolby digital.
Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
This is a quirky, often quite sardonic little film that starts off as a mild and witty comedy before shifting gears and becoming almost James Bond-like.
Sean Axmaker, Parallax View
... a lampoon of international espionage games and the gullible officers running Britain's MI6 like a old boy's club.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
Incredibly droll, this Graham Greene-scripted black comedy offers a can't miss premise.
, Time Out
A real 'winds of change' film, with traditional values crumbling in the heat of pre-revolutionary Cuba. Guinness is wonderful.
, Film4
[A] fabulous satirical spy story.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A droll black comedy.

Read all 16 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bruce B

This is from the Martini Movie Collection, There are a number of movies I never heard of in this collection. this one called Our Man in Havana. Its hard to decided if this is supposed to be a comedy, a suspense film or drama. This movie filmed in Cuba in 1959, before it closed its… More
This is from the Martini Movie Collection, There are a number of movies I never heard of in this collection. this one called Our Man in Havana. Its hard to decided if this is supposed to be a comedy, a suspense film or drama. This movie filmed in Cuba in 1959, before it closed its doors to America, also by the looks of things was quite rich and beautiful, a vacuum cleaner salesman is recruited to be a British Agent, he makes up intelligence and agents that do exist, everything is going alone fine till Britain awards him a secretary and then his world starts to crumple. A very enjoyable film noir title to say the least. The recipe along with this film is Cuban Martini, and you might need a few to help you enjoy the movie more. 3 1/2 stars for this one.
Anthony L

A wry comedy and film noir classic. Carol Reed's direction is, as ever, beautiful and the performances are subtle but brilliant. Graham Greene's style is captured brilliantly in the performances, particularly in the London scenes. One question though, how did they get a… More
A wry comedy and film noir classic. Carol Reed's direction is, as ever, beautiful and the performances are subtle but brilliant. Graham Greene's style is captured brilliantly in the performances, particularly in the London scenes. One question though, how did they get a Moris Minor to Cuba?
Ross C

Alec Guinness plays the hapless secret agent in a tale of secret service blunders and ministers who can't lose face that still rings true today. Superbly clever yet still light and humorous entertainment. The most enjoyable movie from the B&W era that I've seen. Filmed… More
Alec Guinness plays the hapless secret agent in a tale of secret service blunders and ministers who can't lose face that still rings true today. Superbly clever yet still light and humorous entertainment. The most enjoyable movie from the B&W era that I've seen. Filmed during the first months of the Cuban revolutionary government, it was set shortly before the revolution and the Cuban missile crisis that it almost prophetically predicts.
Sarah G

Pretty good. Once again Carol Reed directs well.
Doctor S

If you're familiar with Alec Guinness' other 1950s comedies, 'Our Man in Havana' fits in nicely among them with its unhurried pace and dry sense of humor. Not as funny as either 'The Ladykillers' or 'The Lavender Hill Mob,' but more sustained… More
If you're familiar with Alec Guinness' other 1950s comedies, 'Our Man in Havana' fits in nicely among them with its unhurried pace and dry sense of humor. Not as funny as either 'The Ladykillers' or 'The Lavender Hill Mob,' but more sustained than 'The Man In the White Suit.'