VIDEO REVIEW: Dick Smart 2.007

VIDEO REVIEW: From The Orient With Fury

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i SPY EUROSPY: Dick Smart 2.007

Dick Smart 2.007
Director: Franco Prosperi
Year 1967

Dick Smart 2.007 is a fondly wacky Eurospy entry that relishes in its Rio setting, while delivering a spy adventure that is wildly out of control and often off the rails in its depiction of super agent Dick Smart and his array of unbelievable gadgets and insatiable lust for women. Played out in the most tongue and cheek possible way, the film relies heavily on fast-paced situations and sporadic logic to entertain its viewers, making the movie one of the genres most obscure yet enjoyable iterations to ever come out of the 60’s spy craze movement. With an extreme emphasis on fun and an atmosphere that allows you to just sit back and enjoy the show, Dick Smart 2.007 is a silly spy flick that is elevated by its enjoyable premise and its commendable caliber of core actors.

The film follows the witty rascal Dick Smart, a secret agent who can tackle any mission no matter how perilous as long as you’ve got the doe to cover his hefty price tag of one million dollars and enough scantily clad women around to keep his vices satisfied. After a theft at an American nuclear facility, Dick is assigned to the case and whisked off to Rio de Janeiro in order to track down the thieves who seem determined to build their own atomic bomb. Strangely enough, the nuclear components that were stolen were not for the construction of an atomic bomb, but for the creation of a device known as the “reducer”. It seems that a mysterious criminal organization, led by a beautiful femme fatale named Lady Lister, has discovered a way to transform carbon into diamonds and her work has attracted the curiosity of a sinister man named Black Diamond who seeks to steal the device for himself and reap all the riches. Set against the picturesque setting of Rio and injected with an infectious sense of fun, Dick Smart dives headlong into the fray as he takes on the bad guys, yet still prioritizes to bed as many women that he can along the way, including the gorgeous Lady Lister. Hey the guy may be a dick, but he’s smart….. Dick Smart!

Richard Wyler takes on the role of Dick Smart, the charismatic and arrogant agent that always has the right gadget for the occasion. Wyler isn’t the best actor to fill the role of secret agent, but he gives his character a sense of superiority over everyone he encounters in the film, which makes him come off as a sort of jerk, but a loveable one. The slight twist or chauvinistic emphasis is entertaining in an endearing retro way and Wyler actually pulls it off for the most part. Another aspect of his performance that I thought was rather good was the action moments of the film. He can handle a fight sequence with the best of them, and often at times his charismatic and cocky nature tends to rub off on his physical performance as it reflects subtle shades of James Bond but without the refining qualities of that iconic character. All in all, Wyler satisfied my expectations as the titular agent and for the most part he carried the film with tremendous energy and enthusiasm that in affect allowed me to just soak up this wild Eurospy outing along with all of its craziness.

Margaret Lee embodies the sexy femme fatale Lady Lister to perfection, as she gives Richard Wyler’s Dick Smart a run for his money as the most interesting character of the picture. She has never looked more ravishing than in this film, and the narrative gives her plenty of opportunity to showcase her varying looks and outrageously vivid sense of style. It’s also very interesting that she begins the film as a villain, but gradually begins to warm to the ways of Dick Smart, inevitably succumbing to his overtly confident charm in order to team together to take down the nefarious Black Diamond and his goon squad. Like Wyler, Lee can handle action sequences and in this film she gets her fair share of gunfights and explosives dodging. The main draw of this film and the sole reason why I tracked it down was to see the combination of Margaret Lee and the beautiful scenery of Rio de Janeiro, and in that vain I am wholly satisfied.

There are also a few more characters within the mix of this movie, which add a little extra to the flavor of the film and, in their existence, move the story along in some rather unusual directions. Take the odd-ball character of Jeanine Stafford played by Rosana Tapajos. Her main gimmick is that she wears thick black framed glasses, and without these comical specs she’s as blind as a bat. In all aspects of the concept, her character is just downright silly, but she adds a whimsical bit of fun to the proceedings that function in randomly distracting us from Dick Smart and Lady Lister’s inventive adventures, giving us a breather from the norm. Another essential addition to the cast is Ambrosio Fregolente who plays the role of Black Diamond, the opportunistic villain who plans to take over Lady Lister’s operations and keep all the spoils for himself. The character of Black Diamond communicates with the use of a voice box which manipulates his dialogue into robotic sounding sound-bites that give the impression that the man is robotic, cold and calculating. This inhuman representation of the man makes for a great comparison to his immoral outlook on life, plus it also makes for a villain that is particularly memorable and substantially creepy.

Like I mentioned earlier, Margaret Lee was one of the main reasons that I wanted to hunt down this movie, but the other equally enticing thing about this film for me was the Rio setting. The lush and picturesque visuals that this Brazilian city has to offer, especially through the medium of film, are obviously abundant and in the case of Dick Smart 2.007, the filmmakers make good use of its diverse locations and iconic landscapes. For instance, Dick Smart traverses a plethora of memorable venues throughout Rio from the daring stunt from Sugarloaf Mountain and its cable cars, to the splendid view of and from the Christ the Redeemer Statue, to the many wonderful moments that take place along the strip in front of the iconic Copacabana Beach, the film gives a respectable little travel log of this wondrous city. Not only that, but Smart’s unique helicopter vehicle allows for some breathtaking aerial views of the surrounding area, as we witness him zipping around freeways, buildings, and mountain ranges. With the inclusions of Margaret Lee, Rio, and a handful of memorable moments, Dick Smart 2.007 is a mission that you’ll gladly take over and over again.

Dick Smart 2.007 is an interesting Eurospy entry. Featuring a respectable cast and a slew of misadventures, the film makes for a fun viewing that never takes itself too serious, but injects enough genuine intrigue that it peaks our curiosity as it delves deeper into the obscure waters and wacky antics that encapsulate this genre. Imbued with a tongue and cheek attitude that just permeates from the screen, Richard Wyler’s Dick Smart is a wisecracking womanizer with a heart of gold. The conundrum is captivating, and Wyler doesn’t hold back on his portrayal of this very interesting secret agent.

For me the main attraction is Margaret Lee as the tantalizing Lady Lister. Lee’s approach to this fiery femme fatale is without a doubt the highlight of the film. When you juxtapose such captivating elements as Margaret’s breathtaking beauty against Rio de Janeiro’s magnificent awe-inspiring imagery, than you’ve got yourself a match made in cinematic heaven. For a Eurospy film, Dick Smart 2.007 is not the best of the bunch and in further analysis the film is a sporadic and often messy affair, but the overall feel of the feature is quite enduring and for that I hold the film in great regards. If you’re in need of a Eurospy film that aims to entertain above all else, while showcasing some stunning views of Rio de Janeiro and the incomparable Margaret Lee, well than I’ve got your hook up right here. This flick is…..

Margaret Lee is AMAZING!

God.... thanks for making me so damn cool.

Now that's one kick ass view.

Weeeeeeeee!

Did I mention that Dick Smart is a little kinky?

Does this neck brace make me look fat?

Get out of my dreams, get into my car Margaret.
P.S. lose the creepy pig tails though.

My word! His eyes are beautiful!

Peak a boo you fucks you.

Why the hell did they have to sit me next to four eyes over here?

Pretty cool scooter dude.

Look at my neck brace.... LOOK AT IT!

The look of love.

Dick Smart really hated those damn glasses.

Weeeeee!

That's the last time you make fun of my glasses you DICK!

Please stop playing with your balls and get me out of here!

Three's a crowd Jeanine. Take a hint and get lost!

Damn that's one fine ass catch!

TITLE SEQUENCE: Dick Smart 2.007

Dick Smart 2.007

Director: Franco Prosperi

Year 1967

i SPY EUROSPY: Our Agent Tiger

Our Agent Tiger
Director: Claude Chabrol
Year 1965
 
Our Agent Tiger is the second film to follow the exploits of secret agent Louis Rapiere AKA the Tiger, a man that can take one hell of a beating and still keep on ticking. In this Eurospy blast, Tiger is assigned to watch over a diving team as they recover a sunken treasure. Unfortunately for Tiger and especially the diving team, a nefarious organization known as The Orchid want their hands on the good stuff too, resulting in a horrific massacre that nearly takes the lives of Rapiere and his sidekick Duvet.
 
After swimming ashore, the two find themselves deep within a diabolic neo-Nazi plot with enough danger and intrigue to shake a stick at. What follows is an enjoyable series of events that put the duo up against sexy femme fatales, deadly assassins, whip wielding henchmen, and an evil organization that will stop at nothing in order for them to obtain world domination. Sounds like a good time, so let’s get into the thick of it.

Like most Eurospy films, Our Agent Tiger has a tongue and cheek attitude that it wears on its sleeve with unabashed delight. Louis Rapiere AKA the Tiger, is a cocky and hard headed, literally, secret agent that never stops cracking a smile while battling with the bad guys. Roger Hanin reprises the role of Tiger and he does another commendable job. I really enjoyed his first effort as the fearless agent in Code Name: Tiger, and in this entry he seems to be having the time of his life. He has a swagger and attitude about him that almost makes him come off as a jerk, but he quickly becomes sympathetic when you see the amount of abuse that his character goes through while taking on some tremendous odds.
 
The fight scenes in Our Agent Tiger are just brutal, coming off as more of a mad-cap brawl to the death then any kind of choreographed duel. Often times Tiger resorts to using his head as a battle ram, diving head long into his opponents midsection in a desperate attempt to gain some ground. It’s kind of humorous to see play out, because most of the time he is stumbling through these fight scenes, barely appearing fully with it after receiving such a large amount of punishment from the huge number of henchman that he encounters. The guy is like Rocky but without the training. He can take anything they dish out, but he won’t look like the most graceful of fighters while in the process. For me the awkward and brutal fight scenes added to the fun factor of the film.

There are also some rather enjoyable characters in the movie, aside from Hanin’s Tiger. Take Rapiere’s sidekick for instance, Duvet, played by Roger Dumas. He comes off as a bumbling science type, but given the opportunity he can deal out some pretty sweet moves when forced to act. There seems to be a playful relationship between the two agents, Tiger and Duvet, where they take turns saving each other over the course of the film. I also thought it was kind of funny, but strange, that Tiger felt the need to slap Duvet on the head whenever they were going to leave a room or after someone just finished an important line of transitional dialogue. It’s a running gag, that never is really addressed, making it that much more odd and effective. Their dual presence in the film is a nice added feature and they both play off of each other perfectly.
 
Another perfect feature of Our Agent Tiger, is the inclusion of the one and only Eurospy goddess, Margaret Lee. She plays the role of a double agent, working within the ranks of The Orchid organization. She doesn’t get as much screen time as I would have liked, but the moments that she does appear are pure gold. She plays a sexy and seductive temptress in the first portion of her role, forcing Tiger to be on his guard at all times when around her, but after her cover is blown and she goes from Orchid spy to Orchid prisoner, Tiger does everything he can to save her. The filmmakers even came up with a brilliant outfit for Lee to be draped in for the grand finale of the film. After being exposed as a double agent, Lee is chained up at the foot of the leader of Orchid and forced to wear a skimpy leopard-skin loincloth. This scene looks like some kind of obscure version of Princess Leia in Jabba the Hutt’s palace, but damn if I don’t like this iteration better. Call me crazy but Lee can’t be beat! I love her brief but affective role in this film and as usual, she knocks it out of the park.

Our Agent Tiger is a brilliant Claude Chabrol directed Eurospy that, while not one of the most accomplished of secret agent films, has a great deal going for it. Roger Hanin is great as Tiger, giving an almost too cocky performance, but having that quality can never be a bad thing in this genre. The audacity of his character is entertaining as hell and the physical nature of his role is phenomenally fun.
 
The addition of both Roger Dumas’ Duvet character and Margaret Lee’s double agent are strokes of Eurospy genius and each character brings their own positives to the production. Margaret Lee especially, because you don’t appear in as many Eurospy films as she has without having that special kind of quality that fits perfectly within these stories. She’s sexy, talented, and able to take on so many types of contradictory roles, that she becomes an asset to any film she finds herself in.
 
With all the entertaining aspects of Our Agent Tiger, you’d be hard pressed to not at least crack a smile during its run time. When it comes to Eurospy, you have to be up for a good time and with this film that’s exactly what you get. Our Agent Tiger is…….

Rapiere..... Louis Rapier. Screw it! Just call me Tiger.

Get up you idiot! Snow angels don't work if there's no snow.

Look at this dynamic duo.

Tiger can't believe this shit.

Now are you going to sit there and be a good boy?

Even in mourning Margaret Lee is hot.

Gotcha you little son of a bitch!

Laugh it up fun boy.

Have you seen this weirdo?

Oh there he is!

Have you heard the joke about the Doctor, the shark, and the sexy nurse?

Tiger, you must be dead inside to be able to ignore that!

Hey shithead! Who's driving the car?!?!

Talk about a rude awakening.

Nobody puts Margaret in the corner. Nobody!

You can't keep a good Tiger down.

Well that was one hell of a day.

Oh you crazy kids and your loving gazes.