Agent
Z55: Mission Hong Kong
Director:
Roberto Bianchi Montero
Year
1965
Agent
Z55: Mission Hong Kong, AKA Desperate Mission, is an entertaining
Eurospy flick that benefits from its cocky and hot-tempered lead, and
the brutal moments in which come into light during the later third of
the film. With a standard premise, an unusually calm and eccentric
villain, and an imposing muscle-bound enforcer, this spy movie has a
great deal to be appreciative of. Lensed in the familiar Eurospy
style and steep in lore of its espionage brethren, Mission Hong Kong
is an enjoyable entry in the Eurospy canon and one that will put a
smile across your face more then a few times, especially if you like
bad guys who keep armadillos as a pets. Say what!?!?!
The film
begins with the extraction of a prominent nuclear scientist named
Prof. Larsen, from a Chinese prison, by the hands of a clan of judo
experts and by the planning of Agent Z51. Unfortunately, before
Larsen can be transported back to America, Z51 is murdered, leaving
the plans for Larsen's ultimate escape to fall to ruins. Hearing the
news of Z51's death, the US Secret Service enlists their top man to
the case, Robert Manning, AKA Agent Z55. Landing in Hong Kong,
Manning must locate the now hidden Prof. Larsen while dishing out a
sweet plate of revenge for his fellow fallen agent, but things aren't
as easy as they first appear to be. For one thing there is a
suspicious pair of locals, Su Ling and the gargantuan To-go, who have
an unusual interest in Manning's presence in Hong Kong. There's also
the simple fact that Prof. Larsen could be hidden anywhere and
Manning has little to nothing to go on. What's a secret agent to do?
German
Cobos takes on the role of Robert Manning, the headstrong agent who
knows all the tricks in the book. This is my first Cobos Eurospy and
I have to say that he did a good job as the lead in this film. I'm
only aware of one other spy movie that he was in, Blueprint for a
Massacre, so I'll be hunting that one down soon. In Mission Hong
Kong, Cobos' Robert Manning is a cocky and confident agent who almost
comes off as an asshole most of the time, if it wasn't for his witty
smart remarks and playful manner. Like most Eurospy heroes, Agent Z55
has a tendency to get into some action packed scenarios and Cobos
does a wonderful job in delivering the fast-paced goods and keeping
in step with the genre. His character even has the tendency to go a
little overboard while duking it out, as will come painfully clear
after Manning burns the face of one of his combatants and sends him
crying to his death. What a badass! All in all, I'm impressed with my
first introduction to German Cobos and I look forward to seeing more
of his work in the future.
As for
the rest of the crazy bunch that inhabit this motion picture, Yoko
Tani takes on the role of Su Ling. At first her character is a
mystery, as Manning has no idea if she is friend or foe, but
eventually she comes to side with Z55 and his mission, revealing that
she was just a victim of circumstance. On the other side of the coin
is Milton Reid who plays the role of To-go, a muscle-bound strongman
who couldn't be anymore different from Su Ling if he tried. While Su
Ling is small, timid and forced to be a part of a nefarious
organization, To-go is a beast of a man and willfully participates in
the organizations affairs. Reid fits this villainous mold to
perfection and takes every opportunity he can in being a thorn in
Manning's side. He's an intimidating presence and his facial features
are just icing on the already memorable cinematic cake. The leader of
this rag-tag group of characters is a man by the name of Barrow,
played by Gianni Rizzo. While many Bond-type villains are given a pet
to impose fear into their agents, Barrow is instead given one of the
most peculiar of animal sidekicks in the form of an armadillo. I shit
you not! The dastardly bastard has an armadillo as a pet. Be that as
it may, I have to say that unfortunately for Rizzo, this is probably
the most memorable thing about his character.
With any
grand Eurospy film, you have stupendous locations and visuals to back
that up and with Mission Hong Kong you get that with the abundance of
all the picturesque landscapes that Hong Kong has to offer. From the
bustling atmosphere of the city to the maze-like wooden structures
floating on the harbor, the film has a nice diversity with its
locations and uses them to great effect. Though the tradition for
most Eurospy flicks is to showcase a great array of international
vistas, Z55 is content with just basing its espionage-filled antics
in Hong Kong and for this film it works. The mission on display is a
much more subtle version then we are used to in this genre and it
makes sense to scale back the global aspects of the production to fit
the scenario. Still, director Roberto Bianchi Montero makes adequate
use of his sprawling locales, giving the production a much more
broader feel then it has any right to have.
As for
the action of Mission Hong Kong, they haven't forgot it, in fact
there is a great deal of interesting set-pieces to be witnessed in
this humble production. Manning finds himself battling it out in some
rather impressive locations, which give way to a great deal of
visually alluring moments that make for an impressionable
battleground. For instance Agent Z55 has a shootout in a movie
theater where he battles thugs behind a projection screen, he has a
hair-raising close call at a construction site at night, and an even
more enthralling man to man brawl with To-go in a tanker where
Manning shows his more savage and resourceful side. All in all, it's
safe to say that as the movie moves along, Agent Z55 becomes more and
more brutal and violent, which is always a plus in my book.
Agent
Z55: Mission Hong Kong is a respectable Eurospy entry that may not be
the most robust of the genre, but it still maintains all of the
factors that make us love these kind of flicks. From the get go, we
are presented a espionage-filled world that is sparse with
globetrotting aspects, but what is kept intact is the formula which
has spawned a plethora of like-minded genre films that know exactly
what the fans want from this type of entry. Agent Z55 beds the
ladies, beats the baddies, and saves the day, just as it should be,
and director Roberto Bianchi Montero does an excellent job in making
it all an enjoyable affair.
When it
comes to German Cobos' performance as the super spy Robert Manning,
he really gives it his all and throws himself in to the role. The
fights are frantic and physical, the shootouts are ruthless and
succinct, and the flirtatious interactions are a plenty. Mission Hong
Kong also benefits from a commendable supporting cast of characters
like Yoko Tani's Su Ling, Milton Reid's To-go, and the blandly
depicted, but strangely hypnotic, armadillo lover Barrow, played by
Gianni Rizzo. Combine all of these various elements together and you
have yourself Agent Z55: Mission Hong Kong, an interesting Eurospy
effort that has all of the things that we crave; action, adventure,
and babes. This is one mission that's.....
 |
| Pay attention to the road asshole! |
 |
| Umm... How do I put this? There's a dead hooker in my room. |
 |
| Peek a boo Manning. I see you! |
 |
| Look at me when I'm talking to you, you bald FREAK! |
 |
| Hello there sexy lady. |
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| Staring contest.... GO! |
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| Hold it right there mister. |
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| I'll be using you tonight. |
 |
| Check out the rack on that hose hound. |
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| Manning's gas problem made for an awkward moment. |
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| I outta pop you right in the mouth! |
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| Come here and give me a big hug! |
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| Once again Manning's gas ruins the day. |
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| How about we heat this motherfucker up? |
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| Is that weird little man still watching us? |
 |
| Knock it off you two and learn to share. |
