Com Licença para Matar

Unexpectedly decent spy flick. I think it would have been a whole lot better if it had just been played straight. It is listed as a comedy - parody might have been a better description - but it holds up much better on its own merits. The Russians are the bad guys and the dialog among them gets a bit silly but the rest of the plot and the action is exciting. The storyline involves a scientist that has invented a device that produces anti-gravity when aimed at certain objects. He needs protection from the Russians while visiting the Brits to sell them the invention. Tom Adams is good as the unflappable 2nd Best Agent assigned to protect him. The rest of the cast is fairly nondescript. The ending has some unique twists. A decent watch.

I viewed this film when it opened in the US in 1965 (right in the middle of the James Bond craze), and I never forgot it. The American title was " The Second Best Secret Agent In The Whole Wide World". And the tag line for it was, " He's only number two, but he's just as good as the higher priced agent".

The lead British actor, Tom Adams, plays the main character as though he was born to the role. In an easy laid back fashion that exudes a sincere confidence, his 'tongue in cheek' performance is just right for this film. He's believable, satirical and funny where it counts. In essence, he was perfectly cast for this well done, if not the best, of the James Bond Spoof's.

The plot is, at times, a bit confusing. But what the film lacked in story-line is made up for by the well paced action sequences. Just when you think you might become bored, something happens and you're caught up in the whole affair once again. And the black and white photography well captures the mood of the time.

For many who are devotees of the 1950's - 1960's espionage drama era, this film is a must see. If for no other reason, simply the pure fun of it.

Tom Adams appeared in three Eurospy movies as Secret Agent Charles Vine, this one, "Where The Bullets Fly" and "OK Yevtushenko", plus a heist movie called "The Fast Kill". He also appeared in supporting roles in Rachel Welch's espionage movie "Fathom" and another called "Subterfuge" starring Gene Barry and Joan Collins.

On the tele he was a regular in a show called "Spy Trap" and put in guest appearances in "The Avengers", "The Persuaders", "Ghost Squad", "The Strange Report" and a series called "The Spies", of which all but one episode was wiped during the BBC's tape wiping holocaust, but he was possibly most well-known, back in the day, for his role as arch rival Daniel Fogarty in the "Onedin Line".

Filmed in the UK as a serious Eurospy, repackaged for American audiences with a more spoofy title and a matching title song by serial Sinatra collaborators Sammy Cahn and Jimmy van Heusen, with a vocal from fellow rat packer Sammy Davis junior.

As I say, the film is played about 95% straight, which does not preclude some respectable attempts at Bond-esque one liners relating to, and during interactions with, women, plus a handful of references to James Bond himself, who is treated as a more senior agent and colleague.

Tom Adams looks the part, but there's something missing. Perhaps he's a bit wooden, or perhaps he's been instructed to under play, but just doesn't have the skill or charisma to pull that off. Whichever, he is far below Richard Johnson level, not even able to reach Ray Danton level in my opinion. But the rest of the cast is populated with familiar characters from UK productions, who all contribute suitably colourful performances

The only gadget Tom is provided with is an eeny-weeny, teeny-tiny gun, from Y branch, which is rather underwhelming. Fortunately he still has his regular pistol, a "broom handle / box cannon" Mauser C96, which he keeps in a special holster on the small of his back. However he does manage to bed three woman across the course of the movie, so his sexual prowess credentials are not in question.

The film has two major faults

Firstly its hugely overcomplicated plot, which is such that the director felt the need to have an entire long winded scene at the end of the film in order to explain it to Tom (and the viewer), and the amount of screen time devoted to the theory and nature of the Macguffin ("regrav" - reverse gravity), is quite un-necessary.

Secondly, and more significantly, the dull and lifeless direction, which is completely without imagination or flair, on a level acceptable for a television show, but not the big screen.

The same goes for the action scenes, which mainly involve lots and lots of shooting. (OK, to be fair, I should acknowledge he makes a couple of nice moves with his guns, in amongst the dross). There's only one hand to hand combat scene, which is a mess, and one car chase, which is very run of the mill, but no less than three vehicle-blocking-the-road ambushes. Clearly there was no budget for car crashes or explosions either, as the helicopter scene at the climax is embarrassingly inept.

However enough people liked it to make someone believe that sequels were viable.

Bondian Banter

Rockwell - "I'll give you one man"

Pickering - "Alright, one man, but he must be your best... how about that boy who settled that gold conspiracy, what's his name? Bondson...?"

Rockwell - "I'm afraid he's otherwise engaged, but I've got a good man for you..."

(Tom is in bed with a beautiful girl, phone rings...)

Tom - "Hello"

Rockwell - "Is that Charles Vine"

Tom - "Yes, of course it is"

Rockwell - "Its Rockwell here"

Tom - "Oh, good morning sir"

Rockwell - "Are you tied up at the moment?"

Tom - "No, I've nothing on at present..."

Rockwell - "Ah, could you possibly drag yourself away from her?"

(At the airport)

Prof Jacobsen - "This is my assistant, Miss Lindberg"

Tom - "Miss Lindberg, it will be a pleasure having you"

Miss Lindberg - "Having me where Mr Vine?" (smirk)

Tom - (smirks and turns back to the professor) "Your car is waiting..."

(Later, in the car, where Tom and the cameraman have been leering at Miss Lindberg's legs)

Prof Jacobsen - "You are a scientist Mr Vine?"

Tom - "Yes, in a way"

Miss Lindberg - "In which field?"

Tom - "I studied mathematics, why?"

Miss Lindberg - "I'm sorry, I assumed it was physiology, you seem to have an obsessive interest in anatomy"

Tom - "I am interested in certain areas of the subject" (smirk)

Miss Lindberg (smirk)

(At the research facility)

Tom - "You enjoying yourself?"

Computer Girl - "I am. I have an aptitude for figures."

Tom - "So have I. Tell me, what does this machine do?"

Computer Girl - "It gives general information, depending on the questions it receives."

Tom - "I see. Ask it for your telephone number, will you?"

(Later, in bed)

Computer Girl -"Why, what's your name?"

Tom - "Charles Vine"

Computer Girl -"It's funny, I met someone like you in Florida"

Tom - "Oh really, who was he?"

Computer Girl -"James, James something"

Tom - "Oh, ah, what did he do?"

Computer Girl -"He told me he was a vacuum cleaner salesman"

Tom - "Ah, isn't that a coincidence, so am I" (clinch)

Wielding a heavy broomhandle Mauser, double 00 agent Tom Adams shows how to shoot down a helicopter by concentrating on its tail blades. Predicting an ambush, he sneaks to the rear of his enemies and shoots them summarily in the back of their heads without quarter or qualm. He shoots and kills a dozen or so people in this movie, some from a moving car in busy London traffic, with the nonchalance of Al Capp's Detective 'Fearless' Fosdick.

The action scenes are well executed and Tom Adams is better built than Sean Connery and certainly lacks the jocular effeteness of Roger Moore. He sort of looks like those goony secret service men who guard the President of the United States. In short, he looks like the real thing.

I understand from an IMDb correspondent that there was one sequel to this film. It turns out there are two but their reviews are not promising.

This was shown in the Philippines under the title Licensed to Kill.

Let's be frank. This is one damp spoof. I'll go into the details of this deadly dull affair if, for some reason, you're interested. Tom Adams is Charles Vine, an inexperienced agent whose assignment is to keep an eye on a scientist (Karel Stepanek) as he prepares his formula for Regrav, a process that reverses gravitational waves. Vine is `a double 0 number, licensed to kill' and he certainly does make use of that particular privilege. During the course of the film Vine kills more than a dozen people. It's not the number that gives one pause, it's the callous and somehow nonchalant way he goes about it that is perturbing. Vine is, by his own confession, in it for the money but one suspects he gets a certain pleasure out of taking lives as well.

Stepanek (Our Man in Havana), as the Swedish scientist, gives the best performance of the movie but that's not saying much. The entire production is so lifeless that the actors seem to just want to get it over with, and one can hardly blame them. The film starts off with a bad taste killing when a nanny pulls a machine gun out of her baby buggy and slaughters a man in front of her two infant charges. Then we are treated to a lame theme song by Sammy Davis Jr. and it's all downhill from here, folks. The film suffers from poor pacing, badly choreographed gun battles and worse fight scenes and the whole thing feels much longer than its 95 minute running time.