The Spy with My Face

The very first big screen mission for sickeningly suave TV spy icons, Napoleon Solo & Illya Kuryakin in 'Spy With My Face' (1965) is given some considerable pep by the luminous addition of zesty, Euro-cult screen goddess, the sensationally sultry, sweetly sinister, serially spy duping, Senta Berger! Right on!!!!!! And if I'm being honest, I was genuinely surprised at how well this glossy, high-voltage hokum stands up today; hella' stoopid, super-slinky, face-swapping, super-spy-hi-jinks, slap n' tickle, super-weapon stealing, fluff n' stuff that ALMOST moves fast enough to forget the cheap-jack dumb stuff! (and, for me at least, remote controlled, poison-gas delivering robots will ALWAYS be righteously rad prospect!) 😍

From what I understand, 'The Spy With My Face (1965)' is essentially an extended version of an episode of 'The Man From U. N. C. L. E (1964 - 1968)' that already aired on television in 1964. It seems to be a single episode padded with extra scenes, which thankfully only stretch the runtime to a merciful eighty-six minutes. Its roots in television are incredibly evident right from the outset, with cheap sets and flat cinematography perforating pretty much every scene. Its structure also mimics a typical tv episode, lacking the sense of escalation typically found in big-screen efforts and culminating in a bit of a low-budget whimper. The plot is really weak, consisting primarily of stuffy spies spelling out their surprisingly mundane plans before going about them uninterrupted. It has very little tension or suspense; as such, it's just really dull. It isn't intriguing in the slightest and it's too vague for its own good. Ultimately, the entire affair barely feels like anything at all. It isn't achingly boring, but it gives you very little reason to care or, even, keep watching. I don't hate it, don't get me wrong. It's inoffensive, fairly snappy for what it is and features a couple of serviceably suave performances. I'm very apathetic towards it, though. It's the sort of thing I'll forget about as soon as I submit this review. It's as dull as dishwater, if I'm honest. Maybe fans of the series (which I've never seen) will find more fun here, but they'll probably have also seen the original episode that this is extended from and that's likely the superior version. 4/10.

U. N. C. L. E. Agents Solo and Kuryakin fly to Switzerland guarding the combination to a vault containing the world's most deadly nuclear weapon. In a desperate plot to use the weapon for their own evil purposes, T. H. R. U. S. H. has turned a man into Solo's exact double by means of plastic surgery. The counterfeit Solo is so convincing that even Illya is taken in ...

You get two Napoleon Solos for the price of one - one of them is an imposter, and does a good job fooling the UNCLE agents. And you wonder when he's going to get caught out. This forms part of the interesting plot, and it's not just enjoyable, but has some good suspense. There's a good motorbike chase sequence which leads up to the confrontation between Solo and his doppelgänger. Santa Berger and Sharon Farrell sizzle. Used to watch this a lot as a kid on BBC2 in the 80's, and I just wanted to be Napoleon Solo!!

There is a scene when the real Napoleon Solo gets a very sexy massage from a character named Nina, played by Donna Michelle, that's the coolest scene in the whole movie. I would have preferred an identical double look-alike of Nina to be made by those from T. H. R. U. S. H. and somehow sent to me. OK, the movie isn't bad, you can watch it, you got my approval, if you put a yellow triangle-shaped card on your chest to give the impression that you are working yourself for U. N. C. L. E.

I grew up in the 1960s and the man from U. N. C. L. E was one of my favourite TV shows. Not meant to be comedies but now watching in my late 60s I can see it is very tongue in cheek. As was the Batman and Robin series around the same time. What's so refreshing to watch is that like the James Bond films at the time there is no PC around how women are attracted to Napoleon Solo. Love the ridiculous storyline and how the test to distinguish the real one is by a snog. Really good to watch from the point of view of how the 1960s were and filmmakers didn't feel the need to have a credible plot. Don't take it too seriously.