Danger: Diabolik

If you really happen to be into 60's Spy / pop art / comic strip - type movies, or even just 'Swinging 60's movies in general ( like me !! ) then this is a film for you !! If not, then you'd better give it a wide berth .... 'Danger Diabolik' is really one of those classic films made during the heyday of a time when many flics had a real flair for something called - STYLE !! It's directed by a pretty cool Italian director, Mario Bava, whose forte was for classic Italian Horror shockers - his finest hour being probably, Black Sunday from 1960 (aka: The Mask of Satan ) & is a wild and wacky caper movie from late 1967, with the Super - Villian, Diabolik ( played by John Phillip Law, at his coolest !! & with 'Barbarella' - as the Angel - just around the corner ) bringing the Italian Police force & Government to their knees with his way out heists & robbery schemes. The film goes somewhere in the direction of Modesty Blaise meets Batman meets Derek Flint & so on and is a lot of Fun to be sure !! There is also an excellent Groovy 60's spy / easy listening music score by Morricone, the maestro and a cameo turn by Terry Thomas ( it's that kind of a film !! ) My only criticism and a minor one to be sure is that, one sometimes has the feeling that it could be 10 minutes shorter as that would tighten up the pace even more than it already is. Still that's really it, on the whole I think it's a real FAB movie !! Of note too is the fact that the DVD has some very good extras, in particular, an excellent Audio Commentary with John Phillip Law and Mario Bava biographer, Tim Lucas. This film really belongs in any Swinging 60's Spy movie fans Collection, but then I guess I'm preaching to the Converted !! Great fun !!