Foreign Correspondent - 1940 - USA

Foreign Correspondent - 1940 - 7/10

 
New York newspaper sends “Huntley Haverstock” to investigate the goings-on in Europe.
In Amsterdam, he finds intrigue and murder, and mouthpieces jockeying for influence.
As Europe begins to burn, our reporter flees to England, steps ahead of assassins.
Rousing flag-waver aimed at US audiences, still clutching the “we’re neutral” stance.
Joel McCrea fine as the everyman reporter.
Goebbels, of all people, admired this, declaring it excellent propaganda.

Blue Rita - 1977 - Switzerland

Blue Rita - 1977 - 5/10 
AKA - Das Frauenhaus

 
Blue Rita is the name of the club and the proprietress.
Serving a clientele of the sophisticated and jaded.
It is also a place where Blue Rita and her lesbian operatives capture and torture spies.
Extorting information and bank accounts.
Absurd Jess Franco flick is awash in nudity and Pop Art.
Interesting camera work and angles, although I suspect a targeted porn audience would grow bored.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3372671

Thunderball - 1965 - UK

Thunderball - 1965 - 7/10

 
SPECTRE hijacks a NATO aircraft, seizes two nuclear bombs, and demands ransom.
All 00 agents are activated, with Bond heading to Nassau to investigate the pilot’s sister.
Of course, SPECTRE agents are also there, a mix of useless henchmen and sharks.
Nevertheless, there are two iconic villains in Emilio Largo #2, as well as Fiona Volpe.

 
Awash in style, this is quintessential 007.  Connery’s panache sets a gold standard.
While the impatient may whine during lengthy search sequences, this holds up well.

Curse Of The Yellow Snake - 1963 - Germany

Curse Of The Yellow Snake - 1963 - 5/10
AKA - Der Fluch der Gelben Schlange

 
A gang attempts to steal the golden snake, since whoever owns it shall rule the world!
#2 son hightails it to London, spies hot on his heels.
An attractive daughter is offered in marriage, so to access his wealth.
#1 son leads a battalion of Chinese hoodlums, seeking the idol and domination.
Fast-paced Edgar Wallace Krimi smacks of Yellow Peril, outdated by this time.
Lots of plot, subplots, assorted characters, your head will spin.
Nevertheless, empty headed nonsense.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/1427223

Double Agents - 1959 - France

Double Agents - 1959 - 6/10
AKA - La Nuit des Espions

 
German spies in WWII England have worked out the coastal defenses.
A female agent is dispatched to meet her male counterpart in Occupied France.
Thing is, the Brits learned and have tried to replace one agent or both.
No one knows if this was successful, however, not even the agents.
Both are wary, distrustful and armed.
Slow boil thriller simmers along, boosted by chemistry between Hossein and Vlady.

Attack Of The Robots - 1966 - France

Attack Of The Robots - 1966 - 5/10
AKA - Cartes sur Table

 
Dark skinned humanoids openly assassinate leaders and dignitaries.
Besides the skin, a dead giveaway is their special spectacles.
Though predating either, they resemble Autons and Cybernauts.
Interpol contacts retired agent, Al Pereira.
Pereira, a frequent alter-ego of Jess Franco, is played by Eddie Constantine for laughs.
Power struggle between Interpol, Chinese agents, and the evil controllers.
Two-fisted spoof of spy flicks and late Krimi is mindless fluff.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3369231

Little Red Monkey - 1955 - UK

Little Red Monkey - 1955 - 6/10  
AKA - Case Of The Red Monkey

 
Several scientists have already been assassinated.
Professor Duskenko barely made it past the Berlin checkpoint.
In London, he is a target and attempts have been made.
Scotland Yard is on alert, as is MI5, and there is an agent from the US State Department.
Then, there is that monkey, that witnesses reported before each murder.
Decent espionage thriller, plays like a “how-to” for both sides.

A Question Of Attribution - 1991 - UK

A Question Of Attribution - 1991 - 7/10

 
Three had been unearthed and chased from the nation.
For Blunt, exposure had hung like a sword for over a decade.
Government ministers were certain he was a Soviet spy.
Yet, his position, his eminence, made cornering him exceedingly tricky.
Nuanced teleplay focuses on the verbal cat and mouse.
A highlight is Blunt discussing art with Queen Elizabeth, who proves to be sharper and deeper than he assumes.
Electric drama, better if you know SOMETHING of the Cambridge Five.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3366594

The Devil Came From Akasava - 1971 - Germany

The Devil Came From Akasava - 1971 - 5/10
AKA - Der Teufel kam aus Akasava

After discovering a powerful, magical rock, the professor goes missing in Mambasa.
The Brits send agent Jane Morgan to find out what-where-how-why.

 
She soon encounters slew of counteragents, assassins, deceivers and charmers.
This rolls like a late Krimi spoof of Eurospy flicks.
Soledad Miranda compels viewing, but the story is silly and incoherent.
English subs = https://sub-scene.com/download/3365674

The German - 2025 - Israel

The German - 2025 - 6/10

 
Uri and Anna have been married and at the kibbutz for 25 years.
Son Eitan primed to join the air force, daughter Tamar to graduate university.
Uni, developer of a new irrigation process, needs to fly to Germany to seal the deal.
Compounding matters, Mossad asks Uri to deliver a small packet.
Germany, where horrible memories and an uneasy past lurk near the surface.
Where the recipient, an ex-Nazi, perceives something in Uri.
Mossad is delighted and Uri is pulled deeper into darkness and away from the kibbutz.
What follows is a high-strung thriller that buckled at the end.
The finale is truncated.  Either producers could not find an ending, or opted for season 2.
I found the overall conceit completely implausible.

The Protectors - 1972 - UK

The Protectors - 1972 - 6/10

 
Ever wonder what happens to old spies, those who retire?
For example, Napoleon Solo, post his stint with U.N.C.L.E.
He might freelance.  Provide protection, surveillance, conveyance.
Join forces with an Italian countess and a suave French operative.
At half an hour each, episodes hurry along.
Do not expect character development or much narrative track.

 
Nyree Dawn Porter, the Countess, had been approached by The Avengers.
Reluctant to follow Emma Peel, she wisely declined, and her character hews closer to Cathy Gale.
Fun series, lacking greatness, but action packed, spectacular locations, and an irresistible theme song.

Hot Enough For June - 1964 - UK

Hot Enough For June - 1964 - 6/10

 
Aspiring writer Nicholas, on the dole, lands a job with a glass firm.
Which is actually a front for MI6, now sending ignorant amateurs into the field.
In this case, Prague 1964, still very much behind the Iron Curtain.
Even as an innocent, our faux spy (Dirk Bogard) catches on quick.
And tumbles for his Czech minder, Sylva Koscina.
This starts as a satire, gradually grows more serious, though the tone stays light.

Defence Of The Realm - 1986 - UK

Defence Of The Realm - 1986 - 7/10

 
British reporters get wind of a scandal involving a member of Parliament.
Is the MP having an affair?  Is he a KGB operative?
Not that it matters, it’s too good a story and run it.
Only later, do they realize the man may have been framed – and they were manipulated.
Clandestine agencies, stonewalling, and mounting threats to cease investigating.
Tight thriller encompasses all, along with a message that is still relevant.

Black Bag - 2025 - USA

Black Bag - 2025 - 7/10

 
A colleague confirms George’s suspicion.
There is a traitor in the house, someone who’s gotten hold of something dangerous.
The list is a narrow five, one being George’s wife. Kathryn.
Exceptional espionage thriller, more of a chess match than stunts and explosives.
Think Ipcress File rather than modern Mission Impossibles.
One watches master game players at work, not omni-talented heroes.
Fassbender and Blanchett work well as the secretive couple, but the entire cast is outstanding.
One of the best Soderbergh films I’ve viewed in a decade.

The Silencers - 1966 - USA

The Silencers - 1966 - 5/10

 
Initial Matt Helm installment plays the agent strictly for laughs.
Helm is now retired, living as a glamour photographer.  (pretty girls)
His old agency discovers a threat to initiate global nuclear war - Operation Fallout, and persuades him back.
Despite a big budget, this feels like glorified Maxwell Smart to me.
Stella Stevens plays a moronic nemesis, gratingly whining and crying.
She will get on your nerves and irritate you throughout.
Funny (in a slapstick way) and successful back when.  Now feeble.

Our Man Flint - 1966 - USA

Our Man Flint - 1966 - 6/10

 
Likely overdue, following the 1960’s spy craze of Bond, UNCLE, Harry Palmer, etc …
Derek Flint, agent for Z.O.W.I.E., must take down runaway scientists, demanding world peace.
Gadget, a tricked out cigarette lighter.
Parody of spy genre all the way, would have likely been a goofy dud (like the Helm films) had it not been for the magnetism of James Coburn.
He exudes coo and panache throughout, even during the most absurd moments.
Great viewing when I was a kid, still funny.

Reilly, Ace Of Spies - 1983 - UK

Reilly, Ace Of Spies - 1983 - 7/10

 
Before Ian Fleming envisioned 007, there was the actual, British agent extraordinaire.
Sam Neill shot to fame as the womanizing, double-dealing, articulate agent.
Most of the timeline runs from 1904–1924.  Arms deals, wars, espionage, sabotage.
Adversaries include Basil Zaharoff (the Merchant of Death), Felix Dzerzhinsky and Stalin,
Excellent production values, especially for television of this period.
At 12 episodes, this also breathes a bit.
Based on a real individual, exploits dodgy, yet stands with the finest spy films.

Kiss Me Monster - 1969 - Spain

Kiss Me Monster - 1969 - 5/10
AKA - Küss mich, Monster

 
Relaxing after adventures, the Red Lips are interrupted by a dying messenger.
Something about Doctor Beltran, which, well, he’s dead, let’s dump his body.
Soon enough they are recruited, coerced, hired to locate Beltran’s missing invention.
Perhaps in Abilene, or out on a remote island.
There are five (at least) different factions after this, which adds confusion.
The plot is already scatter-brained.
Spoof of Euro-Spy movies is gauche and awkward, not so funny.

Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp - 1970 - USA

Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp - 1970 - 5/10

 
So, late at night, past 2:00 AM, you’re so hammered you cannot fall asleep or pass out.
Switch on late night TV, endless river of mindless dreck.
You jump channels until you reach a nightclub where a chimpanzee band is performing.
Until you realize this hopping joint is a meeting place for spies.
Good agents APE versus baddies CHUMP.
Beyond weird, Lance Link could only have emerged at the tail end of the 60’s.
My brain eventually seized, as I wondered: they play instruments, drive cars, ride motorcycles.
Someone trained them?  Why aren’t they in politics?

Operation Eichmann - 1961 - USA

Operation Eichmann - 1961 - 6/10

 
Four years before Hogan’s Heroes Klemperer and Banner as hardcore Nazis in this.
First thirty minutes features an intense Klemperer, bigger, badder, more powerful than one might suppose.
Browbeating Hoss (Auschwitz), putting Goebbels in his place, going toe to toe with Himmler.
As the war ends, he flees with his mistress to Spain, then the ratlines.
Second half follows the Mossad, and is more angsty.
Creative license throughout; quite topical when was released, the “history” is dubious.
Bizarre watching Klink and Schultz out of character.
English subtitles = https://sub-scene.com/subtitle/3357653