FX-18 COPLAN STRIKES OUT (1965)
LETTERBOXED PRINT.
Director: Riccardo Freda, Stars: Richard Wyler, Robert Manuel, Jany Clair.
Coplan,was along OSS 117 (who was on the screens again this decade in the spoofs featuring Jean Dujardin) ,one of two main French answers to the much more lucrative OO7.This one looks like,in its last part , a poor man's "you only live twice" -although this Bond episode had yet to be made in 1965). Riccardo Freda's Coplans (there are two of them,the second being "Coplan Ouvre Le Feu A Mexico" ) are somewhat superior to the lousy "Coplan Agent Secret " (1964) by Maurice Cloche .Freda had a sense of mystery which shows in the scene in the Egyptian museum .But this is a cock and bull story . A sinister-looking person (he is not even a Japanese !) wants to avenge Hiroshima by triggering a third world war ,so that Asia will rule the whole Earth after the USA and the USSR have destroyed each other with atomic bombs.
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28 MINUTES FOR $3 MILLION (1967)
BEAUTIFUL LETTERBOXED PRINT.
Director: Maurizio Pradeaux, Stars: Richard Harrison, Franca Polesello, Claudio Biava.
A billionaire hires a professional thief to rob the great Mogol jewel diamond, in Rome, where it is heavily guarded. The almost entire movie focuses on the preparation and heist itself. We of course think of two Jules Dassin's masterpieces: RIFIFI and TOPKAPI. When we see our thieves testing the alarm system on a safe, the same kind of the one they will have to deal with further in the story. And during the robbery itself, there is no talk at all between our leads. Previous were dull looking and the night scenes unwatchable, well NO MORE with this version!
JAMES T.O.N.T. OPERATION UNO (1965)
IN ENGLISH WITH SWEDISH SUBS, LETTERBOXED PRINT.
Directors: Bruno Corbucci, Giovanni Grimaldi (as Gianni Grimaldi), Stars: Lando Buzzanca, Evi Marandi, Gina Rovere.
Rare english dub! An evil woman named Goldsinger [Loris Gizzi] is angry because she has been excluded from the U.N. and devises a plan to bomb the General Assembly. James Tont decides he will save the day. The film was reasonably quick off the mark and sought to parody not only Goldfinger in particular but also the whole Bond phenomenon. As such, the film doesn’t really have anything by way of a plot, being more a succession of gags, comic turns and singularly peculiar conceits.
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ACTION IMMEDIATE (1957)
IN FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBS. AKA TO CATCH A SPY.
Director: Maurice Labro, Cast: Henri Vidal, Barbara Laage, Jacques Dacqmine, Nicole Maurey, Lino Ventura, Margaret Rung, Jess Hahn.
The blueprints of an aeroplane built from an ultra-secret metal are stolen from national security. French secret service agent Walder believes that the documents are now in Switzerland, in the hands of a man named Lindbaum. The latter agrees to hand over the blueprints in return for a large sum of money. Another agent, Francis Coplan, is sent to Switzerland to handle the deal, but Lindbaum only has half of the documents because he was double-crossed by Kalpannen, an international crook. With the help of Heidi, a Swiss correspondent, Coplan sets out to identify the members of Kalpannen's gang, only to find that they have all been murdered.
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077 OPERATION HONG KONG 077(1964)
Director: Helmut Ashley
Brad Harris, Horst Frank, Maria Perschy. In English .
Maria Perschy, Brad Harris, and Horst Frank star in this 60s espionage tale directed by Helmut Ashley (director of some of the German Edgar Wallace series). There is a seedy Oriental underground drug trade that is poisoning the youth of America so an American and German operative are brought in to solve the problem. Harris and Frank are quite good and Perschy looks great and can act too.
THREE GOLDEN SERPENTS (1969)
Tony Kendall, Brad Harris LETTERBOXED PRINT
Sinister Cinema has a washed out brown looking print of this Kommissar X film under the title: ISLAND OF LOST GIRLS. Well here it is in beautiful color. Sleazy tale of girls kidnapped and sold into white slavery. Agents Tony Kendall and Brad Harris save the day
4 BILLION IN 4 MINUTES (1975)
John Richardson, Antonio Sabato, Lea lander in English letterboxed print
The Professor (John Richardson) and a mad dog roommate (Antonio Sabato) escape from prison. The Professor's gang, who pulled off a big robbery while he was in jail, want to divide the loot to their advantage. The solution is to plan an even bigger job but with a nutcase like Sabato plus a traitor involved, it's gonna be tough. Also stars Lea Lander
A FISTFUL OF DIAMONDS (1966)
German Cobos, Erika Blanc LETTERBOXED PRINT
Lovely Erika Blanc plays a woman whose husband is killed by diamond smugglers. She hires a detective (German Cobos) to help find her husband's killers. She ends up being kidnapped by the head of the syndicate and taken to Istanbul. Cobos follows and rescues her and they decide to steal the diamonds her husband was after for themselves. A great pop art score by Piero Umiliani.
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AGENT FOR H.A.R.M. (1966)
Director: Gerd Oswald
Peter Mark Richmond, Barbara Bouchet
Peter Mark Richman, Barbara Bouchet (very sexy and dangerous in this one!), Martin Kosleck, Wendell Corey (I'm sorry, the man is drunk as a skunk here!), Robert Quarry, and Rafael Campos star in this spy film by Gerd Oswald (who directed the best episodes of TV's "The Outer Limts" around this same time). This is one of my fave sixties spy films because everything is so over the top! Richman is an unlikable bastard who kills anyone who pisses him off. He treats Bouchet like crap, knocking her around or planting a big wet one on her. A scientist has developed a killer spore that turns people into goo. Richman must get it before enemy agents do. Campy fun! An excellent 60s spy flick
APPOINTMENT IN BEIRUT (1968)
Ann Margaret, Laurence Harvey LETTERBOXED PRINT
Ann Margaret and Laurence Harvey star in this sixties action adventure film. Harvey plays a casino croupier who heads to Beirut where he's part of a plot to rob the world's richest casino. He's double crossed by both the criminals and the police. Ann Margaret is a singer (dressed in her swinging sixties finest) who performs a few groovy songs and get in on the action too.
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BLUEPRINT FOR A MASSACRE (1965)
Director: Roberto Montero
German Cobos, Maria Mahor, Franco Ressel
Excellent spy film by Roberto Bianchi starring German Cobos, Maria Mahor, and Franco Ressel. Mysterious accidents are happening to the world's airlines threatening to throw the world into panic. Cobos is the only tough guy spy left. Also has an absolutely wonderful sixties score by Piero Umiliani
BORMAN (1967)
Liani orfei, Kitty Swan, Dominique Boschero, letterboxed print.
Here's an offbeat entry in the Sixties spy genre that involves both Neo-Nazis
