IMDb-BEWERTUNG
4,9/10
341
IHRE BEWERTUNG
Füge eine Handlung in deiner Sprache hinzuTed Danson plays a computer genius who gets involved in the theft of an important N.A.S.A. computer, then thrust into the world of espionage with Sir Christopher Lee.Ted Danson plays a computer genius who gets involved in the theft of an important N.A.S.A. computer, then thrust into the world of espionage with Sir Christopher Lee.Ted Danson plays a computer genius who gets involved in the theft of an important N.A.S.A. computer, then thrust into the world of espionage with Sir Christopher Lee.
Lillian Müller
- Christine
- (as Yuliis Ruval)
John Hostetter
- Chief
- (as John R. Hostetter)
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John Cacavas' idea of a James Bond theme plays over the opening credits of this TV-movie spy flick which even features silhouetted buxom women posing in various contortions the same way the Bond films have done for decades. (The film also features a certain musical motif that is exceedingly close to what is found in all the Bond films.) Danson plays a computer expert who is coerced by the government into rescuing a super-computer from the clutches of evil, wheelchair-bound Lee, who intends to rule the world with it. The agent assigned to brief Danson is curvy, smart-mouthed Weller who reports to the authoritative and no-nonsense Parker. Retrieving the computer is only part of the job. Danson also hopes to rescue his doctor friend (Stone) and the doctor's daughter who are being held against their will, a task Parker is only mildly concerned about accomplishing. There is a lot of pseudo-witty banter and quasi-dangerous espionage as the film plays out with Danson and Weller straining for romantic chemistry while carrying out various aspects of a mission in which no one is ever killed. It's James Bond Lite, almost for kids. The whole enterprise reeks of "unsold pilot" with the credits even playing like a TV show opening and the ending setting the scene for possible future escapades. Danson is fairly solid throughout and manages to balance his character's brains and lack of experience pretty well. Weller is often very annoying, chirping Danson's character's name frequently ("Chenault!") and trotting around in foolish skirts, shoes and hairdos, acting like she's some big deal when really she's rather a lightweight herself. Lee is somewhat interesting at times, but could play this role in his sleep and sometimes seems like he's doing so. Parker (an unjustly forgotten actress who graced the silver screen with many wonderful, powerful performances in the 40's, 50's and beyond) is on her last legs here. She looks okay, but does all her scenes seated behind a large table and rattles out loud orders with very little timing or finesse. It's a sloppily done production with many continuity errors (notably in the costuming) and cheap sets. One notably intriguing sequence involves an elaborate maze in which Weller must fight for her life, but it is undercut by the fact that she is really in the same old section over and over with just angle and lighting changes tossed in occasionally. Lester, who plays a henchman here, would soon begin a memorable nine-year stay on "The Young and the Restless".
Not great but there are some elements available today
in 2021 (the film is made in 1980), they mention terms like "new world structure", "reset", "new order".
Ted Danson has neither salt nor pepper, the script is predictable and boring, Mary Louise Weller is beautiful and sexy in body-hugging costumes, either black or yellow. And Christopher Lee doesn't have the dominating force as in other movies. But his character fits Bill Gates perfectly.
Ted Danson has neither salt nor pepper, the script is predictable and boring, Mary Louise Weller is beautiful and sexy in body-hugging costumes, either black or yellow. And Christopher Lee doesn't have the dominating force as in other movies. But his character fits Bill Gates perfectly.
One of those failed TV-pilots that then became a standalone TV-movie, ONCE UPON A SPY takes the James Bond aesthetic to the small screen, from formidable (and colorful) technical set pieces to a flaunting trumpet score to a former Bond villain in Christopher Lee, a brilliant computer mogul who, brain-wise, is second to none...
Well except for Ted Danson, turning in one of those "befuddled geeks who's really a handsome diamond-in-the rough/anti-leading-man" types... and it's no surprise, given his near-future turn in CHEERS, he has great comedic timing...
Perfectly paired with (and counterbalanced by) sublime ANIMAL HOUSE beauty Mary-Louise Weller, an Alpha Male-like female operative and, after getting Danson's Jack Chenault out of a stuffy office shared with his only friend, a computer the size of a wall, the action is pretty much non-stop...
So the peripheral world-dominating plot doesn't matters since it's the nifty Odd Couple duo... whether ripping around in a hot-rod on the ground or jumping out of planes in the air... that really matters, and this SPY would have made a genuinely good series (as the creators of REMINGTON STEELE would soon-after prove).
Well except for Ted Danson, turning in one of those "befuddled geeks who's really a handsome diamond-in-the rough/anti-leading-man" types... and it's no surprise, given his near-future turn in CHEERS, he has great comedic timing...
Perfectly paired with (and counterbalanced by) sublime ANIMAL HOUSE beauty Mary-Louise Weller, an Alpha Male-like female operative and, after getting Danson's Jack Chenault out of a stuffy office shared with his only friend, a computer the size of a wall, the action is pretty much non-stop...
So the peripheral world-dominating plot doesn't matters since it's the nifty Odd Couple duo... whether ripping around in a hot-rod on the ground or jumping out of planes in the air... that really matters, and this SPY would have made a genuinely good series (as the creators of REMINGTON STEELE would soon-after prove).
ONCE UPON A SPY is a deservedly unknown 1980 TV movie that stars up-and-coming Ted Danson as a computer programmer who unwittingly gets drawn into a spy plot that's straight out of a James Bond movie. And indeed this turns out to be a Bond spoof through-and-through, with the unfortunate added side-effect that it's also quite horrible.
Rarely have I seen a film in which the acting is so stilted or the narrative so predictable and boring at the same time. Danson displays none of the charisma that would make him a household name in time, and his attempts at flirting and romance with token blonde Mary Louise Weller are, to be frank, excruciating. ONCE UPON A SPY is truly a movie of its era, with cod attempts at feminism (think CHARLIE'S ANGELS style tough fighting women) mixed in with the normal "saving the girl" routines and some quite appalling jump suits that make the female cast look both fat and frumpy (although they're neither).
Bizarrely, Hammer scribe Jimmy Sangster had a hand in the screenplay, although quite what he was thinking I don't know. Keeping on the Hammer theme, we get Christopher Lee as the villain, riffing on his MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN persona. I felt sorry for him, soiled by his appearance in this; I remember his comments about breaking free of Hammer and making it in Hollywood, but even latter-day Hammer efforts like THE SATANIC RITES OF Dracula are a hundred times better than this trash. Definitely a film to be consigned to obscurity, and for good reason.
Rarely have I seen a film in which the acting is so stilted or the narrative so predictable and boring at the same time. Danson displays none of the charisma that would make him a household name in time, and his attempts at flirting and romance with token blonde Mary Louise Weller are, to be frank, excruciating. ONCE UPON A SPY is truly a movie of its era, with cod attempts at feminism (think CHARLIE'S ANGELS style tough fighting women) mixed in with the normal "saving the girl" routines and some quite appalling jump suits that make the female cast look both fat and frumpy (although they're neither).
Bizarrely, Hammer scribe Jimmy Sangster had a hand in the screenplay, although quite what he was thinking I don't know. Keeping on the Hammer theme, we get Christopher Lee as the villain, riffing on his MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN persona. I felt sorry for him, soiled by his appearance in this; I remember his comments about breaking free of Hammer and making it in Hollywood, but even latter-day Hammer efforts like THE SATANIC RITES OF Dracula are a hundred times better than this trash. Definitely a film to be consigned to obscurity, and for good reason.
10edlc1970
I dont get the ratings? This is a great classic. It has all the ingredients to make a great spy movie. Hot ladies, action, humor. Great iconic actors like Christopher Lee and Ted Danson in his early years is making this movie a joy to watch. Its a classic and deserves better ratings.
Wusstest du schon
- WissenswertesJoan Fontaine was originally cast as the head of the spy agency.
- PatzerWatch for a mysterious costume change near the end of the film. One minute, Paige is wearing a rather sexy skintight yellow catsuit, the next she's wearing a top and stretch pants, with the pants in a slightly different shade of yellow.
- Zitate
Jack Chenault: You're leaving?
Paige Tannehill: Chenault, I fondly hope that I never have to set eyes on you again.
- VerbindungenReferences Man lebt nur zweimal (1967)
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