The Karate Killers

The Karate Killers (1967)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

A secret formula is stolen and broke off into four different parts so Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) and Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum) must travel around the world and try to catch the evil man trying to get it. THE KARATE KILLERS is a feature-length version of a two-episode entry in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. series. I should probably admit right from the start that I had never seen an episode of this show so I really can't say how well this movie is or how good the two episodes are and how they compare to other episodes in the series. For the most part I found myself having a pretty good time. I will admit that I found a lot of this to be rather campy and I'm not sure if this is just how it's aged or perhaps the series was always meant to be campy. Either way, there were a lot of fun moments scattered throughout the picture with some of the highlights including the opening sequence and another very good one where McCallum finds himself heading towards an ice breaker, which will certainly kill him. There are several sequences here that manage to capture that cliffhanger feeling that people saw in serials back in the day. Another thing that kept this film moving were the countless celebrity appearances including Joan Crawford, Herbert Lom, Leo G. Carroll, Telly Savalas and Kim Darby. Seeing all these stars pop up in small roles was nice. The two leads were also extremely good and fun. THE KARATE KILLERS, I don't think, was meant to be taken too serious so as long as you turn your brain off there's some fun to be had.

THE KARATE KILLERS was the sixth big-screen enlargement of the hugely popular Man From UNCLE series. It was compiled from a two-part episode called THE FIVE DAUGHTERS AFFAIR (part one: 31 March 1967) and (part two: 7 April 1967). However, in common with it's predecessors, the TV version wasn't aired in the countries where the theatrical version was released for example Great Britain where the films were steady earners at the box office.

Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuriyakin are assigned to prevent evil THRUSH agent Randolph (HERBERT LOM) and his seemingly unstoppable karate chopping henchmen from stealing a secret formula for extracting gold from seawater. The formula has been divided up into four parts and hidden amongst the possessions of four of the five murdered inventor's daughters. Solo and Kuriyakin find themselves traveling around various parts of the globe in a race to stop THRUSH from gaining control of the world.

THE KARATE KILLERS is probably one of the weakest of the Man From UNCLE pictures because despite the caliber of the guest stars such as Terry Thomas, Curt Jurgens and Telly Savalas (who would be far more effective as Blofeld in the Bond movie ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE two years later) are not given enough to do in order to make the film live up to their talents. Having said that, Herbert Lom is good as the villain and there is an amusing send up of the MGM melodramas of the forties between him and Joan Crawford (who plays the inventor's wife) early on where Crawford throws a tantrum in front of him because she has just discovered that he has murdered her husband for his formula and Lom replies "There's no need to be melodramatic is there my dear." Another disappointing aspect of the film is that our heroes Solo and Kuriyakin get knocked out by the enemy far to many times in this one. All this doesn't mean that the movie is unwatchable, far from it, because it moves at a fast pace and there are some amusing moments here and there and don't forget - this is the sixties man so it's all good clean fun!

Followed by THE HELICOPTER SPIES (also 1967).

When a leading scientist develops a formula for extracting gold from sea water he breaks his hides his formula and sends clues out to 4 of his 5 daughters. When he is killed by THRUSH, UNCLE agents Solo and Kuryakin join with the 5th daughter to retrieve the clues and find the formula before THRUSH can use the formula for their own evil ends.

This is another in the series of UNCLE TV movies used for the European market but it is one of the first to be a serious miss in terms of the UNCLE series. While others played themselves with their tongues in their cheek this takes itself a little too seriously. The first sign of this is that it drops the UNCLE opening theme in favour of a very 1960's "groovy" number by Every Mother's Son and then it starts to load itself up with star cameos. In fact the whole thing lacks the gently mocking humour of the other outings and puts itself forward as a "proper" spy movie.

This is a major failing as the action and story are not good enough to carry the film. The story is quite clever but the execution is poor. The story is basically in 5 bits - 4 sections dealing with each of the 4 daughters and the last being the final confrontation. The problem with this is that there is no real continuity and it feels piecemeal. Each chapter has a star - Terry Thomas, Telly Savalas, Joan Crawford, Herbert Lom - but this makes each section more about the cameos than about getting the formula. In fact in each section the formula usually easily falls into the hands of the 5th daughter by accident.

Both Vaughn and McCallum are OK in their roles but it is obvious that they aren't having as much fun as before. All the cameos are poor because they don't really have any time to do anything interesting and instead just play stereotypes (English copper, Italian count etc). Lom is a terrible villain - all he does in each section is turn up and spark off a fight. When he does get more of a chance to show his character he is exactly like Dr Evil - if fact I thought that Lom was a few steps from being a totally spoof villain despite trying to be menacing and sinister.

This lacks the sense of fun that other outings have had. It takes itself too seriously and immediately loses the one quality that made it good. Check out "the spy in the green hat" if you don't know what I mean - now that's an example of a tongue in cheek UNCLE movie with some stars as villains who give good performances.

The dynamic U. N. C. L. E. Duo are sent on a world-wide chase to foil the devilish plans of T. H. R. U. S. H. A top scientist has been murdered and his secret formula can lead to ruin for the free world....

An all-star cast - including a cameo role by Joan Crawford- enhances the usual UNCLE spy shenanigans. Sometimes it feels like a Monkees episode, especially with a band singing in the club, but mostly it's the standard stuff with the duo hunting for a formula that could make THRUSH powerful and unstoppable. It is still fun though, and humorous as usual - and has some exciting action scenes, and some globe trotting. Bond connections = The Auto-gyro, the ski chase, Telly Savalas & Curd Jürgens ( Blofeld & Stromberg).

The Karate Killers is geared mostly for those baby boomers who watched the Man from UNCLE. Robert Vaughn and David McCallum were my heroes as a little girl when I watched the Man from UNCLE. Watching the movie now, I find it: nostalgic, a typical 60s spy movie, and a wee bit over dramatic. Of course, more than 40 years of movie watching has passed by. I am glad that the main characters and type of plot did not change and neither did the secret of the success of the Man from UNCLE still remains in the film. However, I miss the sophistication today's spy movies contain. The acting is decent and they interplay well. I am rating this movie against today's spy movies. It is still a decent movie. The movie is basically a matinée or a late night show. Bring popcorn for this one and enjoy a 60s spy movie.