The Worst Film Ever

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

The acting in this movie is really good.

I saw this film as an episode of the show, Mystery Science Theater 3000. During the years, the show has riffed many movies that were basically trying to capitalize on the success of the James Bond films and this one does so in the most blatant way possible. They got Sean's brother, Neil Connery, they got two of the Bond villains to play villains here and they got Moneypenny and M too! However, that being said, this is also the most enjoyable of the Bond ripoff films that they riffed. I am not saying it was great or anything, it is kind of all over the place, but at the same time they really keep things moving in this one so it never gets to the point where the agent is simply hanging around a beach house and flirting with some guy's niece, nor is the action so dull that it is outdone by the windmills of Holland and they never resort to cheap models to simulate a car chase. No, this film did a pretty good job of being a Bond film, while at the same time not being a James Bond film.The story has a deadly organization using a remote car to blow up a plane. On the plane, a man who had information about the organization's plan. A woman has this information locked in her mind and her plastic surgeon may have the key to retrieving this information. This man, is the younger brother of an awesome spy and he is soon recruited to help foil the evil organizations plans. He may not have a license to kill, but he has many skills that help him discover the whereabouts of the kidnapped woman, discover the deadly secret of the factory where only the blind may find a job and try to thwart the plans of one of the members of the organization that wants to seize all the power for himself! This made for a very good episode of MST3K, I generally like it when the film they riff is not completely horrid. I like to be able to get some enjoyment from the film itself and it actually makes it more amusing to hear the riffs. They obviously leave a lot of this film out of the episode, as at one point Neil references a archery contest that he had with the main villain that I did not see. Makes me want to see the whole film, though for the most part they leave in enough to know what is going on. It is just a film that is all over the place as one moment they are rescuing a girl, then an army convoy is being hijacked, then there is a battle on a yacht and then a raid on a castle! So, it is not a good movie, but it is hardly a bad movie. Definitely not the worst James Bond knockoff that I have seen. Neil certainly looks a lot like his more famous older brother and I am surprised he did not appear in more films. This film was done in Italy and they have always managed to mimic other films in the most blatant ways over the years and this film is no exception as it is the most blatant ripoff of the James Bond films there is other than the one that was done years later that actually starred Sean Connery and was essentially a James Bond film, but not part of the actual series, "Never Say Never Again". This one is actually more enjoyable than that film as that film was just so terribly paced and could not hold my interest. This one at least moves at a fast pace and never lingers to long on any one scene for long.

A 1967 film, I counted 5 actors associated with early Bond films. Daniela Bianchi (Bonds main squeeze in From Russia With Love), Adolfo Celi (Bond heavy in Thunderball), Bernard Lee (recurring Bond character "M"), Anthony Dawson (Bond heavy in Dr No and also in Thunderball uncredited), and Lois Maxwell (recurring Bond Character "Ms Moneypenny"). Also gaining honorable mentions are Pietro Ceccarelli (was in a film with Sean Connery, The Name Of The Rose), and last but not least maybe the hottest part of the film, Kitty Swan who was in Deadlier Then The Male probably the best Euro Spy non Bond flick of the 1960's. So we have all of that going for us, plus it's filmed in places like Monte Carlo and it has a bevy of female hotties, so you have to give it at least 7 stars for all of that. But then half way in they kill off Kitty Swan and this thing really falls apart in dullsville makes no freaking sense land. Worth watching mostly for Bond Euro Spy film fans especially if you watch the MST3K version because at least you can laugh while it's getting so stupid (and boring). Of course if you watch it without riffing commentary you may laugh unintentionally and not because it's supposed to be a parody because I don't see that at all, just because it's so badly done with all that they had available. I blame the script. It's billed as a parody but it's actually one of the least funny Euro Spy flicks I've watched, if there were jokes there I missed them all because Connery says practically nothing so I don't see how he's making fun in the film. As a film itself this is getting a 3 from me, as a MST3K episode I'm giving it a 6. This was very close to being Joel's last one with just 4 more pretty weak episodes to go and the riffing is kind of weak and non existent on Joel's part. He was burnt out and it shows. Luckily he left when he did and we got 5 1/2 more seasons with Mike. Other Euro Spy films MST3K did include Agent for H.A.R.M (a funny one, actually an American TV spy film), Secret Agent Super Dragon (I couldn't finish that one yet, it's pretty bad), and Danger!! Death Ray (my favorite of the four).

I remember so clearly how excited I was to see this movie into theaters were the first came out. When I remember most was seeing so many great familiar faces from the Sean Connery 007 series. Little did I know that composer Ennio Morricone would later become famous for the theme for "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly," but I did love the theme song "O.K. Conneryand," which incidentally is an alternate title for this film is. Many will tear this film apart, but I say no fair. It was meant to be for fun, and succeeds quite well there. True, the dubbing is awful, especially since I really wish I could have heard Sean's less famous brother speak for himself, but no matter. There are lots of great locations to see how the many attractive Italian girls, and if you don't take it too seriously (God knows how you could) it's a fun and entertaining way to pass the time. Hell, it beats the crap out of "Casino Royale."

I was expecting the worst when I found a copy of "Operation Double 007" (one of the many alternative titles for this film) in a bargain video rack for a dollar. But I didn't get the worst -- I got a surprisingly OK film.Neil Connery, Sean's little brother, is indeed a dead ringer for his sibling. The only major difference is Neil sports a beard, in keeping with his character, a plastic surgeon. As far as acting goes, he has many of Sean's mannerisms down pat, but in the print I saw his voice was badly dubbed by an American (even though his character is clearly said to be Scottish), so I cannot pass judgment.The story is a pastiche of Bond films past, such as Thunderball, a similarity driven home by the fact the main villain in both this movie and Thunderball is played by Adolfo Celi, one of a number of 007 veterans who somehow managed to get involved in this bizarre Italian production. Anthony Dawson (another 007 vet -- he was Dent in Dr. No and also provided the body for Blofeld in From Russia With Love and Thunderball) plays a Blofeld clone named Alpha, another apparent nod to Thunderball.Bernard Lee (Bond's M) and Lois Maxwell (the first and best Moneypenny) appear in very similar roles in this file, EXCEPT that Maxwell's character gets a lot more action here. Fans of Moneypenny will love seeing her mowing down bad guys with a machine gun, and she even kidnaps another character! Bernard Lee, meanwhile, gets to show some of his comedy skills. Both actors do a good job here, and for the record they weren't overdubbed.For me, the real pleasure in this movie is a rare chance to see Daniela Bianchi. Five years after seducing 007 in From Russia with Love, the Italian actress gets to play an assassin with a heart of gold, and she is absolutely gorgeous in this film. Fans of her work in From Russia should check this film out just for her (sadly, she retired from acting not long after this film was made).Although this movie has been heavily criticized as a rip-off of 007, in fact there are a number of original touches that make the film, if not good, at least interesting. For example, Neil Connery's character (who is, imaginatively, named Neil Connery) is a master of hypnotism and is more apt to use his brains than his brawn. A good example of this is when he creates a MacGyver-like device to get past a machine gun turret.Released the same year as the infamous Casino Royale spoof, I have to say that OK Connery actually has a better storyline, and unlike that other film, it actually (sort of) makes sense. This film is hard to find (though I understand Mystery Science Theater 3000 featured it once). But serious Bond fans should check it out at least once as an interesting curio from the height of Bondmania. And if you're a fan of Lois Maxwell or Daniela Bianchi, it is definitely worth checking it out.