The Last of the Secret Agents? (1966)

Simply Perfect

Absolutely Brilliant!

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

As a kid, I really enjoyed this movie. But that was the 70s. While still having positive feelings for it, that is from memory. I don't blame Allen and Rossi. Their humor did not translate to the big screen and were let down by a script written by someone who had no understanding of the spy genre, nor how to spoof it. It seems to me you have to have a plot that makes sense within the context of the story and then introduce humorous characters and twists that have no business being there. After an entertaining opening sequence, which goes on a bit longer than it should, the first half hour is fun, introducing Allen and Rossi and setting up the story. What follows after is slow, unfunny and nonsensical. More staid 50s than the hip 60s. Too bad Mel Brooks wasn't brought in to save it.

"The Last Of The Secret Agents?" is a hard film to review, because parts of it seem to come from the Marx Brothers' surrealistic brand of comedy (sometimes even breaking the fourth wall), while other parts are closer to the more lowbrow tradition of Abbott and Costello. The best part is probably the clever opening sequence, followed by Nancy Sinatra's terrific title song (by the way, Nancy also has a small role in the film, sporting a luscious body and an adorable French accent). Another bit that comes close to weird brilliance (or brilliant weirdness) is what happens inside the train when it starts passing through the tunnels. But there are also certain sequences that divert the film from its main targets and go on needlessly long (like the one at the go-go club, notable for its extended, suggested but invisible to the viewer female toplessness). It's a hit-and-miss comedy where the hits are about equal to the misses, but it's also a valuable artifact of its time period. ** out of 4.

This is a dreadful mess of a movie. It is intended as a spy spoof (that already usually means the picture will be BAD) and abounds with more misfires than Barney Fife at the shooting range! The movie took the basic comedy team formula of a straight man and an idiot but failed to produce anything worth watching. To start with, Steve Rossi has almost no screen presence--none. A piece of salami would be more interesting than his character. Yet, he is infinitely more likable than Marty Allen's character who is a total cretin. Yes, as the dopey sidekick Allen is supposed to be dopey, but instead he seems almost sub-humanly stupid and unlikable. Compared to him, Jerry Lewis or Lou Costello's sidekicks seemed like Nobel prize winners! To top off this unfunny duo, you have a script that is so unfunny I would have preferred to watch a Matt Helm flick! NOW THAT'S BAD!!Watch this ONLY if you are a glutton for punishment!UPDATE--I must rescind part of my original review, as I just finished watching another spy spoof from the 1960s (THE NASTY RABBIT) and it made THE LAST OF THE SECRET AGENTS? look like "Masterpiece Theater"!! So if you're looking for the worst spy film of the 60s, THE NASTY RABBIT is definitely a contender!

I saw this on AMC last night, introduced by Nancy Sinatra, whose years of experience have not yet rendered her able to read believably from a cue card.It actually looked like it might be interesting, since it was written by Mel Tolkin, head writer for "Your Show of Shows" and "Caesar's Hour" (two of the most intelligently written comedy shows of the fifties) and who was later head writer for "All in the Family."This movie stinks. Brilliant comic actors like Lou Jacobi, Sig Rumann and John Williams are wasted. The plot limps along like a snail with gout. Allen and Rossi, who I remember liking very much on the Ed Sullivan show, do the best they can with underwritten characters. The aforementioned Nancy Sinatra attempts an accent (I believe French, but it's hard to tell.) Her dress gets ripped off, which is the high point of the movie.I stuck with it until the end because I began to have a morbid fascination with the film: Can It Get Even Unfunnier As It Goes On? The answer is yes, and an hour and a half of my life is irretrievably gone.You could watch this movie three or four times, and be rolling on the floor... if someone set you on fire and you were trying to extinguish it. Which would actually be preferable to concentrating on this film.