Deadlier Than the Male (1967)

Why so much hype?

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

An affectionate alternatively to the popular Sean Connery-starring Bond films of the 1960s, DEADLIER THAN THE MALE takes the literary character Bulldog Drummond and turns him to a suave, handsome British playboy while eliminating the racism that marked the original stories. Indeed this is a film clearly modelled on the Bond template, with a chief villain, some highly memorable henchmen (or henchwomen in this case), exotic and sun-drenched locales, and plenty of action to propel what is a tight, two-fisted narrative.The most surprising thing is that this is actually better than some of the Connery Bonds! It's certainly more entertaining than the likes of the dreary DR NO and the overlong THUNDERBALL and it comes close to reaching the heights of my favourite '60s spy film, the classic GOLDFINGER. It's also fair to say that Richard Johnson (ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS) is a far better actor playing Drummond than Connery was playing Bond, and it's a shame Johnson missed out on the big role. Still, at least we have him here and in this film's sequel, the less successful SOME GIRLS DO.The film looks and feels fun and colourful and a witty and intelligent screenplay from Hammer scribe Jimmy Sangster is responsible for the sparkling dialogue. Despite the fun and hijinks, it also has a dark edge, with some fairly violent moments that usually come courtesy of the (male) assassins sent to dispatch Johnson. A brawl in an underground car park is a highlight (and far better than in the film that ripped it off, TOMORROW NEVER DIES) as are the fights with hulking muscleman Milton Reid.As the title implies, in the end this is a film all about the women – and lovely they are too. Elke Sommer and Sylva Koscina, two Euro-beauties who dominated the screen in the '60s and '70s, have a ball as the pair of intelligent, charming and very beautiful female assassins who you can't help but love even when they're blowing people up with exploding cigars and harpooning the good guys. It helps that they wear very little, too. Hammer starlet Suzanna Leigh (LUST FOR A VAMPIRE) pops up towards the end as another memorable beauty while Nigel Green (THE FACE OF FU MANCHU) has fun playing the bad guy for a change. Add in cameos from Leonard Rossiter, George Pastell, and UK TV actor George Sewell. Comedy director Ralph Thomas isn't the first person you'd pick to helm a film like this, but he turns out to be the perfect choice, providing just the right blend of thrills, spills, camp and smoothness. The excellent idea of having a life-size chess set was later stolen by HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE.

Richard Johnson (of The Haunting fame) is Bulldog Drummond, a insurance investigator trying to uncover what happened to one of the planes his company had written a policy on. It's not long before anyone with information for him turns up dead. And most of the deaths "appear" to be accidents. Before you can say "Shaken, Not Stirred", Drummond is up to his neck in hired killers and a mad genius.Deadlier Than the Male has a lot to enjoy. The 60s feel, Johnson's Drummond, Nigel Green, terrific locations, and the implausible yet wonderful gadgets and traps are all a delight. But my absolute favorite moments are those between the two hired henchmen (or should that be henchwomen or maybe even henchpersons) played by Elke Sommer and Sylva Koscina. There constant spats and barbed remarks are a riot.There are a lot of bad Bond wannabes out there, this is one of the good ones.

This splendidly entertaining spoof of spy thrillers, brings back detective Bulldog Drummond (debonairly portrayed by Richard Johnson) to do battle with a megalomaniac villain (elegantly laconic Nigel Green), who uses sultry female assassins (Eurobabes Elke Sommer and Sylva Koscina) to do his dirty work. Stylish doses of brutality, sly humor and witty set pieces make this obscure thriller a real winner...a widescreen DVD is due out in May of 2003.

I never cared for the title of this film, although it's a fitting description of the circumstances that bring Richard Johnson, as accident insurance investigator Drummond, onto the case. Elke Sommer and Sylvia Koscina provide ample "eye candy" as villian Nigel Green's "hit girls" (no "hit persons", thank you - this is before political correctness) and Richard Johnson is perfect as the suave Bond-inspired update of the 1930's character, Bulldog Drummond. The finale on a giant mechanical chess board is a highlight!