Matchless

Spy movie, not great but better than many others. Interesting and able to entertain as a worthy James Bond imitator.

The plot is not very clear but maybe it is I who was unable to follow it.

A Euro production that calls upon the talents of people like Patrick O'Neal, Donald Pleasence and the consummate movie and TV bad guy, Henry Silva, can't be all bad, which it isn't.

A spaghetti spy flick spoof, which starts with the inheritance of a mystical ring containing a drug which can enable the wearer invisible (but not their clothes, leading to usually interesting rematerialization scenes), and can only be used every ten hours, leads to a manhunt for our titular hero as he is pursued for the ring throughout Europe by every single government espionage agency on the Earth, as well as his backstabbing, sleazy partner (Silva) who provides a great deal of comic relief during the chase.

Nothing tremendous in storytelling, it serves as a light hearted romp for the stars.

A poor "caper" film from the nadir of American moviemaking. Trite set pieces and dreadful cinematography. Acti? Go to a grammar school play and see better. It's the second or third worst I've see, since previewing a turkey about the gas lines during a gas crisis at the Paramount Studios executive screening room. Since I was dating one of the executives, I couldn't leave. Nearly as bad was a Coppola mess with Francis in a wrinkled white suit, sweating more water than the LA river trying to defend it and raise money for it. I think it was about drunks in Las Vegas.

New York Tribune reporter Perry 'Matchless' Liston (Patrick O'Neal) is being tortured by Chinese communists for being a spy. He is given an ancient ring by a fellow prisoner. It's a ring that turns the wearer temporarily invisible but one must not wear it again until ten hours have pass. He manages to escape execution with the ring. He manages to reach New York with O-Lan to find the Americans doing the same things. They recruit him into the spy service to go against the evil Gregori Andreanu. He finds fellow prisoner Norris after him for the ring in cooperation with their former captors.

This is an Italian made movie for the English market. It's in the lesser known spaghetti espionage spoof genre. Sometimes it makes a sharp point about the world or the genre. Sometimes it's almost funny. Patrick O'Neal is not particularly funny. It takes all the premise of a 007 spoof and non of it achieves an actual laugh. Roger Moore would be funnier. O'Neal is essentially playing it straight and that could work. In the end, I don't think the humor translates except for physical comedy. The movie starts well enough but it grinds down by the non-laughs.

Patrick O'Neal, of "The Kremlin Letter" (1970), here is some kind of skinny James Bond, who gets more punches than he gives, but, from time to time, he's invisible. Ira von Fürstenberg, who looks like a twin sister of Margaret Lee, is Arabella, kind of Bond girl. Donald Pleasence, post original Bond, makes a caricature of a villain. So does Henry Silva, a bad character parody. Nicoletta Machiavelli, who looks very good in this movie, is helping Henry Silva. All are spies and spies one another, American, Russian, Chinese, the whole planet etc. One half spies the other half... The music is signed by the great Ennio Morricone but it's not great. Director is master Alberto Lattuada, who has made many good films, including two absolute masterpieces: "Lights of Variety" (along with Fellini) and "Mafioso" with the great Alberto Sordi. Another interesting movie made by him is "Fraulein Doktor". This one is neither a masterpiece nor stupid. It's worth seeing if you like Bond parodies and for the sake of the stars.