THE CAPE TOWN AFFAIR

The film is set in 1967, at the height of the Cold War. On a Cape Town, South Africa, city bus, a young woman named Candy (Jacqueline Bissett) suspects she's being trailed by government agents. They have correctly deduced she is acting as a courier for Communist operatives. However, a small distraction occurs when a pickpocket, Skip McCoy (James Brolin), deftly lifts a wallet from Candy's purse before exiting at the next stop. Candy uses the diversion to slip away from her pursuers. But later, when checking her purse for the wallet, she discovers it is missing. The wallet's content, an envelope containing state secrets on microfilm, is now in the possession of McCoy. Naturally, Candy's employers are displeased, and they order her to find and retrieve the stolen microfilm—or else. As a result, Candy begins to question her own allegiances.

Meanwhile, government agents solicit local Cape Town authorities for their assistance in tracking down the pickpocket. With valuable assistance from underworld contact Samantha "Sam" Williams (Claire Trevor), they locate the elusive McCoy who proves uncooperative at first. But when he becomes acquainted with Candy and begins to grasp the evil of those behind the theft of government secrets, his patriotic fervor becomes aroused. Before long, he is surprised to find himself aligned with both Candy and the police in tracking down and exposing enemies of the state.

This plot appears to be a remake of the 1953 movie Pickup on South Street starring Richard Widmark. It even includes the tie selling informant character played by Thelma Ritter.

Skip McCoy, Candy, and the police join forces to track down and expose the enemies after the microfilm, aligning themselves against the Communist operatives.

The ending highlights a shift in McCoy’s character from self-serving thief to unexpected patriot, driven in part by his connection with Candy and the realization of the stakes involved. The coalition of crook, informant, and law enforcement underscores themes of unlikely alliances in the face of greater threats, offering a satisfying wrap to the political and personal intrigue.