The Order of the Black Eagle

What were they thinking when this film was made? My only hope was that tongue was firmly planted in cheek. If not, then this movie is pretty bad. Chock full of cliche's, this James Bond wannabe has got it all and more. You know you have a winner, when Duncan Jax is introduced to his support team and they all have descriptive nicknames (e.g. Blade is the knife expert, Wires - explosive expert, Crusher - the big bruiser, etc...). My favorite scene is during the raid on the neo-Nazi camp (Nazis are important for this kind of film) and one of the Nazis rides an ATV behind a tent, there are sounds of bones breaking and the Nazi flies out in front of the tent and lands of the ground, then one of our heroes rides out from behind the tent on the ATV and for good measure runs over the Nazi's head. How could someone write this with a straight face. I won't even mention some of the other hilarious scenes but if you can find this on late cable or satellite (I don't think this film merits a trip to the video store) consider watching it.

The easiest criticism to make against "The Order of the Black Eagle" would be to say that it is cheesy. However, it would also be an invalid criticism. This movie features a baboon driving a tank (!) and blowing up the bad guys - how seriously do you suppose it takes itself? It starts as a James Bond knockoff (complete with a scene where the hero gets his neat new gadgets from an Asian version of Q), then it turns into a modern spaghetti Western, with a team of mercenaries assembled to help the hero, and it ends as an all-out war movie as the good guys attack the enemy base (where Neo-Nazis plan to resurrect Hitler!) and blow up everyone and everything in sight. When you think the explosions are over, there are even more explosions, and then some more. The last 30 minutes are non-stop action. Despite the extremely high body count (including one beheading), the general tone somehow stays lighthearted. The blonde female agent that the hero initially teams up with is nothing special, but the brunette female commando he meets later on is a knockout. I might try to track down the other Duncan Jax film now. **1/2 out of 4.

This is a movie so bad it's actually thoroughly entertaining. It's a sub-James Bond movie with all the clichés and none of the brains. You want a suave spy? You have got him in Duncan Jax, though you have to take his baboon sidekick and his receding hairline, too. You want a damsel in distress? You've got her in Tiffany Youngblood, though she's not that attractive. You want grossly underwhelming adversaries? The Order of the Black Eagle gives you neo-Nazis led by the Baron - think overweight Perry Mason with an eye patch - trying to revive Hitler and destroying the world with a laser. Ooooooooh! You want an amusing sidekick? Sorry, all we've got is a supposedly humorous baboon.

The Order of the Black Eagle is perfect for homemade, Mystery Science Theater 3000 style riffing. Invite some funny friends, grab some popcorn, and watch this wonderful mess.

Daniel J. Roos film.ispwn.com

My review was written in April 1988 after watching the film on Celebrity video cassette.

"The Order of the Black Eagle" proves one can make a low-budget James Bond imitation in North & South Carolina, but the results aren't appealng. Shot in 1985, pic received limited theatrical runs commencing last December and now is in video release.

Designed as a sequel to helmer Worth Keeter's "Unmasking the Idol", pic toplines Ian Huntr (not very impressive compared to the late British thesp by that name -he's also not the rock performer) as Duncan Jax, a government agent imitating 007. Unfortunately, he is cryptically saddled with a baboon (literally, played by a trained animal named Typhoon) sidekick who wears a tux and makes rude gesturs and noise for so-called comic relief. Everyone in the film takes the simian's presence for granted, but the audience is bound to wonder.

Jax' mission provides a very skimpy story line: it seems a group of cartoonish baddies led by portly William Hicks is attempting to take ovr the world by using stolen laser technology to destroy the major communications satellites. Adolf Hitler is in deep freeze and will be revived to take over.

Pic consist of mainly okay action scene involving lots of explostions, as well as irritating Bond imitation, especially from "Dr. No" and a Q-figure played by Shang Tai Tuan. The girls are plretty but Hunte's peformance is flat. An Amazonian black actress, Flo Hyman plays Spike: film is dediated to her, listing her as having died in 1986.

Lensing at Earl Owensby Studios and on locations in the Carolinas is quite unconvincing for all the globe-hopping plot, especially when feathers are used for snow in a Geneva-set sequence.

Imagine that you have a very limited budget and want to make a James Bond-like film. And, because you have no money, you need to get 3rd rate unknown actors, cheap props and a no-name director. And, you'll have "The Order of the Black Eagle"...a terrible film in most every way. One of the most serious problems about the film is that instead of a sexy spy hero, we have a guy with a receding hairline who looks like a tax accountant--and who tries to score with women who aren't particularly attractive. To make up for this, they had the brilliant idea of giving this super-hero (Duncan Jax) a baboon sidekick--one that makes lot of rude gestures to try to distract everyone from how dumb the film is.

Speaking of dumb. The plot of this film is essentially that of "They Saved Hitler's Brain". However, instead of just saving Mr. H's head, these Neo-Nazis have preserved his entire body and plan to rejuvenate him and start the Fourth Reich in South America!! You can't get a sillier plot than this but combining it with bad acting, writing that THOUGHT is was very clever but wasn't and cheese, you get a dumb film that MIGHT be of interest to bad movie fans but to no one else.

Apparently, they made a sequel, but I don't think I'll bother.