The Lucid Nightmare: i SPY EUROSPY: Dick Smart 2.007

Sunday, July 29, 2012

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…..