A new ambitious member of the group, Colonna, suggests disguising the assassination as a crime of passion by connecting Birgitt with a random man who would later take the blame for the murder.

[2] It received mixed reviews in the U.S. Vincent Canby in The New York Times called it "an espionage melodrama of startling ineptitude" and "a movie of wrong-headed solemnity.

"[3] The Washington Post criticized Heynemann and his screenwriting collaborators for approaching "a shaky thriller premise in the guise of rank, soggy-sleeved sentimentalists", and added that the film "would be substantially improved if it took a cold-eyed view of its characters.

[6] In WOR-TV & The New York Journal, Judith Crist called it "an eerie, fantastic tale of undercover intrigue", and added that "three stunning performances--by Philippe Noiret, Jean Rochefort and Lisa Kreuzer--give credibility and power."

Bay Area Reporter called it "a good thriller, and more compassionate than most", and concluded: "this is decidedly not one of those spy films in which people are no more than numbers; even minor characters are fleshed out into human form.