Leofwine_draca An affectionate alternatively to the popular Sean Connery-starring Bond films of the 1960s, DEADLIER THAN THE MALE takes the literary character Bulldog Drummond and turns him to a suave, handsome British playboy while eliminating the racism that marked the original stories. Indeed this is a film clearly modelled on the Bond template, with a chief villain, some highly memorable henchmen (or henchwomen in this case), exotic and sun-drenched locales, and plenty of action to propel what is a tight, two-fisted narrative.The most surprising thing is that this is actually better than some of the Connery Bonds! It's certainly more entertaining than the likes of the dreary DR NO and the overlong THUNDERBALL and it comes close to reaching the heights of my favourite '60s spy film, the classic GOLDFINGER. It's also fair to say that Richard Johnson (ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS) is a far better actor playing Drummond than Connery was playing Bond, and it's a shame Johnson missed out on the big role. Still, at least we have him here and in this film's sequel, the less successful SOME GIRLS DO.The film looks and feels fun and colourful and a witty and intelligent screenplay from Hammer scribe Jimmy Sangster is responsible for the sparkling dialogue. Despite the fun and hijinks, it also has a dark edge, with some fairly violent moments that usually come courtesy of the (male) assassins sent to dispatch Johnson. A brawl in an underground car park is a highlight (and far better than in the film that ripped it off, TOMORROW NEVER DIES) as are the fights with hulking muscleman Milton Reid.As the title implies, in the end this is a film all about the women – and lovely they are too. Elke Sommer and Sylva Koscina, two Euro-beauties who dominated the screen in the '60s and '70s, have a ball as the pair of intelligent, charming and very beautiful female assassins who you can't help but love even when they're blowing people up with exploding cigars and harpooning the good guys. It helps that they wear very little, too. Hammer starlet Suzanna Leigh (LUST FOR A VAMPIRE) pops up towards the end as another memorable beauty while Nigel Green (THE FACE OF FU MANCHU) has fun playing the bad guy for a change. Add in cameos from Leonard Rossiter, George Pastell, and UK TV actor George Sewell. Comedy director Ralph Thomas isn't the first person you'd pick to helm a film like this, but he turns out to be the perfect choice, providing just the right blend of thrills, spills, camp and smoothness. The excellent idea of having a life-size chess set was later stolen by HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE.

ferbs54 The Bulldog Drummond character first appeared in Herman Cyril McNeile's 1920 novel entitled "Bulldog Drummond" and would be a film fixture throughout the 1930s. In 1967, at the absolute height of that decade's spy craze, the character (an admitted influence on Ian Fleming) was dusted off, refurbished and transformed into a very credible competitor in the James Bond arena. The resultant film, "Deadlier Than the Male," turns out to be one of the finest Bond wanna-bes I have ever seen, easily putting contemporaries such as Derek Flint and Matt Helm to shame. Here, insurance investigator, playboy and all-around tough guy Drummond tracks down the killers of a string of recalcitrant businessmen and tangles with a pair of deadly female assassins. As in the Bond films, there are ample attractive women on hand, some exotic locales (such as the Spanish Mediterranean coast), a suave and talkative villain, an Asian henchman, and well-integrated quips (although the film is devoid of the inane humor that would torpedo some of the Roger Moore Bonds); the film is even a Pinewood production, like the early 007s. Unlike a Bond film, "Deadlier Than the Male" does not feature any spectacular stunts or eye-popping FX. It is a more realistic spy outing, and rather than being merely a "poor man's Bond," is indeed more entertaining than some of the lesser 007 films, such as "The Man With the Golden Gun." Richard Johnson is quite fine in the lead role (he even looks a bit like Sean Connery at times!), and Elke Sommer and Sylva Koscina are perfect as the lethal hitwomen, the sexy Irma and adorable Penelope (perhaps never more so than when shown in microbikinis and toting harpoon guns!). Though the film's story line is a bit too dependent on coincidence, this picture--be it a Bond pastiche, send-up, homage or rip-off--is as entertaining as can be. Too bad the sequel, 1969's "Some Girls Do," is almost impossible to see....

ShadeGrenade Several oil executives die in mysterious 'accidents' and each time, an anonymous company is richer by a million pounds. Insurance underwriter Hugh Drummond is called in to investigate. Jimmy Sangster had earlier put Hammer Films on the map by reworking old horror favourites like 'Dracula' and 'Frankenstein'. In 1966, he gave Sapper's 'Bulldog Drummond' a Bond make-over. Richard Johnson was well cast; smooth, charming, and sophisticated. The girls are stunningly beautiful, and the film bristles with excitement, invention and good humour. Nigel Green is excellent as Carl Petersen. Some great set-pieces; the underground car park fight is surprisingly violent, while the chessboard finale is straight out of 'The Avengers'. All this plus a cameo by the late, great Leonard Rossiter, and a blinding title song by The Walker Brothers! Wisely, the film doesn't try to compete with the more lavish Bonds such as 'Goldfinger' and 'Thunderball'. Both Drummond films were novelised for Coronet Books by Henry Reymond.

DEREKFLINT I never cared for the title of this film, although it's a fitting description of the circumstances that bring Richard Johnson, as accident insurance investigator Drummond, onto the case. Elke Sommer and Sylvia Koscina provide ample "eye candy" as villian Nigel Green's "hit girls" (no "hit persons", thank you - this is before political correctness) and Richard Johnson is perfect as the suave Bond-inspired update of the 1930's character, Bulldog Drummond. The finale on a giant mechanical chess board is a highlight!