Touches You

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

STANDING IN LIVING testimony to the power and popularity of the JAMES BOND Series, super spies in celluloid sprouted up in all corners of Hollywood. The two FLINT movies, with James Coburn, were about the most successful.BEING THAT THEY were parodies, the production team had the broadest of parameters. In addition to the usual trappings of cool hero, sensuous females, hot cars and futuristic gadgetry; the element of parody played a major role.WE EVEN HAVE Flint (Coburn) meeting up with a virtual James Bond double at a waterfront dive in Marsallies. The conversation between the two would suggest that "all spies know each other." SOME OF OUR favourite gags were: a parody of then President Lyndon B. Johnson's talking (unseen) on the White House/Kremlin hot line and the President's vocal pause of "Uhhhh....." during a speech; also Flint's meting scientists Dr. Schneider (Benson Fong) and Dr. Woo (Peter Brocco, whose names and races are reversed.THE OVERALL EFFECT of the picture are most satisfying; as evidenced by the reactions of the audience members we saw in the theatre a mere 49 years ago.IT WAS FOLLOWED by the sequel, IN LIKE FLINT.

Although "Our Man Flint" was billed as a spoof,it was too serious for its own good. When I hear "spoof,' I expect to see some really outrageous things -- taking conventions from the genre and then going over-the-top. Maxwell Smart comes to mind.But OMF lacked that sense of playfulness and fun. Sure, it had some silly touches (Z.O.W.I.E., the actor portraying Dr. Wu) but I think the movie would have benefited from developing them further; as it is, they were basically flat one-liners. An 83-function cigar lighter is a nifty concept -- but Flint could have/should have availed himself of many more of those functions. And the "villains" were on the weak side; more flamboyant characters (use the *original* Dr. Loveless as a reference point) could have certainly livened things up."Our Man Flint" is not a horrible movie by any stretch; just missing a certain "zing" factor.

As the James Bond series debuted in the 1960s and had its great success, out came the imitators and the parodies, and "Our Man Flint" is a pretty good example of those particular genres. It's not quite good enough to really make it something special, but it's solid entertainment just the same, with enough laughs to sustain it for the duration.The movie does offer what could be considered quintessential James Coburn: the film star is every inch the dashing, charismatic hero, playing world renowned secret agent Derek Flint, who works for Z.O.W.I.E. (!); this stands for Zonal Organization World Intelligence Espionage. He's the only man who can possibly save the world when the terrorist organization Galaxy starts manipulating its weather. He's a little too self interested to give a hoot at first (You can't entirely blame him. He's surrounded by four gorgeous gal pals.), but soon realizes he must get involved.As directed by Daniel Mann, this movie does have just the right tone. It's frequently funny and thus easy to watch. It's very colourful and well designed entertainment, extremely well shot in CinemaScope and accompanied by a peppy Jerry Goldsmith music score. It definitely could have used more action, though, and it moves a little slow before picking up its momentum for an exciting finish. Its scenery attractions are most effective, especially Gila Golan, a stunner of an actress who plays bad girl Gila. It's got cool gadgets, such as the lighter with over 80 functions. The supporting cast is great, from Lee J. Cobb as Flints' frustrated superior to Edward Mulhare as intimidating villain Malcolm Rodney to Benson Fong, Rhys Williams, and Peter Brocco as the trio of scientists running things. Audiences are also certain to get a chuckle out of the fact that one of the bad guys is named Hans Gruber, 22 years before Alan Rickman played a man by that name in the action classic "Die Hard".Overall, this is worth watching for any fan of espionage, adventure, and comedy. Coburn is just so much damn fun as Flint that he makes it impossible to resist. It was followed, predictably enough, by a sequel, "In Like Flint", and even a TV movie (with Ray Danton as Flint) a decade later.Seven out of 10.

MASTER PLAN: makeover the world, beginning with ridding it of nukes. This is probably the best of the spoofs jumping on the James Bond bandwagon of the sixties (this came out after "Thunderball"). It takes the inherent absurdities of the Bond universe and amps them up even further, but not into total slapstick, like the much later "Austin Powers" pics of the nineties. This begins with a depiction of several major natural disasters throughout the world (stock footage from other films, I presume), the result of nefarious forces who can control the weather. The U.N., or something like it, is in near-panic, as groups of special agents have already failed to get to the bottom of this. But, Flint, the good-natured premiere secret agent, at first refuses to come out of retirement, nonchalantly suggesting that the world would right itself without his help. What makes this thoroughly entertaining is Coburn's performance as Flint: his is an unusual persona - arrogant yet humble, insolent yet polite, way too intelligent, always cool, with a bit of Steve McQueen and a touch of mysticism. And, quite unlike Sean Connery's version of 007. His character is very wealthy (why, we dunno), a martial arts expert with a catch-all gadget and his own set of codes. There's also a zen aspect, as, through some kind of meditation, he can turn off his own heartbeat. He also takes Bond's way with women a step further: he has his own harem, a quartet of ladies who cater to him and seem to worship his every move. Ah, yes, those sixties.The film also copies the Bond structure of a teaser and then some surrealistic credits involving the female form, although these are less innovative. The actor Cobb is amusing as this world's version of M, the supposed chief and head of ZOWIE, always flustered and shocked by Flint's obstinate ways and arcane knowledge. He's also constantly answering the red phone, whose strange ringing signals a call from the U.S. Prez. The main villains turn out to be a trio of scientists whose aim is to change the world, after taking it over, of course. They operate from an island base which makes even the huge sets of the Bond films seem puny by comparison. There are even amusing direct references to the Bonders: this is not SPECTRE Flint is up against, we learn, and he has a scene with agent 0008, who happens to resemble Sean Connery. Another villain, a slick henchman (Mulhare), looks like Michael Caine's evil brother. And there's the femme fatale (Golan), who eventually goes over to Flint's side. Much of the film is silly, of course, with Flint's superhuman detective skills and cunning soon getting him to that island, by way of a certain soup recipe used in Marseille. But, once there, he finds a version of paradise which may suit his own perfectionist ways and this actually thrusts the story towards some thoughtful points, if so briefly. Since much of this proposed new world involves mind control, this may be why he rejects it outright - he's way too individualistic. There follows the standard explosions and carnage. This was successful enough to warrant the sequel, "In Like Flint," and was better than the lazy Matt Helm films of the same period. Hero:8 Villains:7 Femme Fatale:7 Henchman:7 Fights:7 Stunts/Chases:6 Gadgets:8 Auto:6 Locations:7 Pace:7 overall:7