EuroSpy adventures with Larry Pennell and Brad Harris
After the great success of the James Bond films from 1962 onwards, many copycat productions were made, which are summarized under the term EuroSpy. This copy was created under the direction of producer Ernst von Theumer Sr. And was released in Italian cinemas on September 4th, 1965. The film was shot on location in Jamaica and in film studios in Rome and Madrid.
Ernst von Theumer Sr. Created something like the blueprint for the upcoming KOMMISSAR X film series, which was then produced by Theo Maria Werner and his Parnass Film. Take two rowdy daredevils with big upper arms and transport them as secret agents / police officers / private detectives to an exotic location (here: Jamaica) under some pretext and let them decimate their numerous opponents there by beating and shooting. One of the two rascals (here: Larry Pennell) is also well received by the lovely feminine and doesn't let anything go wrong. The other one (here and in many other films: Brad Harris) is more of a correct guy who sticks to the rules, ensures law and order and is secretly jealous of his buddy's enormous amount of women. The plot and setting are then interchangeable. The main thing is that there is a convincing villain (here: the as always great Wolfgang Kieling, who a year later in "The Torn Curtain" would become one of the best murder victims in an Alfred Hitchcock film). Beautiful women (here: Margitta Scherr, Barbara Valentin, Christine Schuberth, Linda Sini) should also be seen in rows, but only one of the two daredevils falls around the neck, almost without will.
The American actor Larry Pennell (1928-2013), who was also seen as Stewart Granger's opponent in "Old Surehand" (1965), but was otherwise only employed in supporting roles or television series, is lucky in this film. As a powerful womanizer, he does a pretty good job. Brad Harris (1933-2017) plays here for the first time a role that he would bring to perfection in the seven films of the KOMMISSAR X series (1966-1969 and 1971, alongside Tony Kendall): the good buddy, whose fists are just as loose as those of his comrade-in-arms, but who can only look at the beautiful women he picks up without batting an eyelid.
The fact that director Theumer did not use the series potential of this constellation himself and thus served it to his competitor Theo Maria Werner on a silver platter is due to a crucial error in the plot, which should not be revealed here.
For fans of the genre, this film is definitely worth seeing. It's certainly not a masterpiece, but it offers good entertainment.
