Torson Falcradine
Dirk Bogarde excels in this spy movie.Although Hot Enough For June also known as Agent 8 3/4 is portrayed as a spoof spy movie in the James Bond mold, the movie is not a comedy although it has it's funnier moments. It is a thrilling and suspenseful drama directed by Earl St John with some lighter moments. The movie takes a serious look at spying in the Cold war era and which was very enjoyable. Whilst the lighter moments are welcome in that it keeps your attention the underlying message highlights the skulduggery that went on at the time.The movie changes from one one location to another thus moving at brisk and exciting pace. Mid movie things get very serious for Dirk, when his life is threatened and holds the attention of the audience. Whilst Dirk is portrayed initially as a bumbling idiot it soon becomes clear than he is smarter than initially portrayed. Eric Morley excels too and it is good to see Leo McKern on the runway tarmac in the closing scene giving a nice twist when Dirk climbs onto the BEA Vickers Vanguard.Definitely worth the watch and getting the DVD if available.
writers_reign
This is a bit of a dog's breakfast all round. Clearly intended as a spoof on the James Bond franchise which was just establishing itself it trails a bad nowhere to the likes of Derek Flint (James Coburn) and Matt Helm (Dean Martin) who quickly joined the bandwagon although even highly polished, sophisticated spoofs such as these came and went within a decade proving there was little mileage in the genre. The plot - and I use the word loosely - requires Dirk Bogarde to portray a layabout content to live on the dole whilst masquerading as a writer who is gullible enough to believe he is trainee executive material on the strength of a ten minute 'interview' and a Swiss cheese where a CV should be. Nor does he find too much wrong with being whisked to Prague within hours of starting his new job. Best of the support comes from Robert Morley as an M-wannabee who makes it as far as about F whilst Richard Pascoe ensures the mahogany content is in the high nineties. It's all pretty harmless and mildly diverting but if they churned out something like this with lottery money today they'd risk being lynched.
sol-
A better-than-average spy thriller, the film is sort of like a combination between James Bond and 'North by Northwest'. It has an awful number of lame jokes in the mix, but in compensation, there are many amusing moments to be had along the way. Set and made during the time of the Cold War, there are almost unavoidably overly silly, mocking portrayals of the Communist characters, however in such a light-hearted film as this one is, silly supporting do not pose much of a problem. Generally, this is just enjoyable stuff, nothing heavy but still entertaining, and at times quite sexed up too, without overdoing it.
Mike Wigley
I did enjoy this film, but the reason for saying above 'if you don't think too hard' is that after watching it, the thing that stuck in my mind was that Nicholas (Dirk Bogarde) seemed to adapt to the situations he found himself as a spy rather too easily for someone who is supposed to be an unemployed writer. That aside the film is a little difficult to categorise, IMDb call this a comedy, and it starts out in the same vein as the "Doctor" films that Dirk Bogarde made, but it changes to what I would classify as 'Light Drama', and that makes it much more interesting.Overall the acting was good but not outstanding, and I would recommend it for an evenings entertainment, provided your idea of an evenings entertainment is something you don't have to think about too much, and you have had enough of sex, violence and obscenity.
AD
