Hammerhead

I saw this when I was in the ARMY, a BIG waste of time what's worst the The Projectionist must have missed a reel as 1 could see it just didn't fit

Like the first commenter, I discovered "Hammerhead" via the score LP in the 1970s. CBS-TV in the US used to show a heavily-edited version regularly; later, an uncut print was seen locally. (It was also spotted on cable during the 1980s.) It's a neat movie, with some good chase scenes (one involving a large hearse). The "Chelsea Happening" music accompanies an interesting performance-art show that was typical of the era. Judy Geeson's character manages to be both kooky and sexy as she and Vince Edwards scoot all over Europe in search of Hammerhead.

Note: the music on the LP is a different recording from that in the movie; the arrangements are, however, pretty much identical. The score rather predictably conforms to visual action: for example, those five rhythmic "hits" near the end of "Villa Fight" are cut to Charles Hood slamming a car door on someone's hand! This actually bolsters the charm of this picture.

Any chance to see "Hammerhead" should be seized upon!!

For years I thought Victor Mature was the most uncharismatic, untalented actor to have ever managed to succeed in Hollywood, but now, ladies and gents, I stand corrected. That dishonor must go to the, er, "star" of Hammerhead, Mr Vince Edwards. In short, he's an utter bore. As is the movie. But my God, is he dreadful. His face is like a catcher's mitt, just expressionless throughout the whole movie. His voice is one note of droning monotony and as for his physical presence, well, I suspect most of the action was performed by a double as they consisted mostly of suspicious close ups of legs and arms being thrust in the direction of bad guys without ol' Vince's hammerface in the shot.

Won't bother with the plot, critique the direction or soundtrack ... sufficed to say it all pretty much stinks.

I'm a massive spy movie fan - seen 'em all pretty much - especially the 60s adventure ones, and I must say this movie is easily one of the worst. Even the mostly incomprehensible Italian stuff of the same era is a lot more fun and watchable than this rubbish.

The only good thing from Hammerhead are the girls. Plenty of them and all pretty.

The spy genre popularized by the James Bond series certainly gave fruit to a lot of attempts worldwide to play in the same sandbox. This British effort (with an American star) isn't anything great, but at least it is largely played tongue-in-cheek (while firmly dating itself as a 1960s piece), and ought to earn some smiles, or chuckles, if few real belly laughs. Vince Edwards plays Charles Hood, a special agent trying to get the goods on the title master criminal (played by top British character actor Peter Vaughan). This he does by using the cover of selling the man vintage pornography! As he gamely goes on his mission, Hood keeps encountering Sue Trenton, a jovial young lady played by the lovely Judy Geeson.

"Hammerhead" does ultimately get a little tiresome, and goes on a bit too long, but there ARE some pleasures to be had. Chief among them are the very sexy ladies on hand (also including Diana Dors as Kit, Beverly Adams as Ivory, Tracy Reed as Miss Hull, and Veronica Carlson as Ulla). The film is likewise attractively photographed by Wilkie Cooper & Kenneth Talbot, and is partly shot in picturesque Portugal. Vaughan is fun as a bad guy who knows how to make an entrance, Edwards is amiable as the hero, and the enticing Ms. Geeson is a lively leading lady (although some people might find her effervescent personality a bit much). They're supported by some excellent British actors, with Michael Bates standing out in a dual role. And that's David "Darth Vader" Prowse in the small role of Hammerheads' young muscleman. This viewers' favorite sequence involves Hood & Sue being trapped inside a coffin, on their way to certain doom (bad guys in these types of stories so often rarely kill the good guys when it is most advantageous to do so). They catch the attention of a young motorcyclist (Kenneth Cope) whose reactions are hysterical.

Decently guided by the American director David Miller ("The Opposite Sex", "Lonely Are the Brave"), this moves along adequately, doling out some entertaining action sequences while accompanied by a jaunty music score by David Whitaker. The oddest touch is the performance art playing out alongside the opening credits, presided over by an eccentric artist (Douglas Wilmer).

Five out of 10.

Hammerhead is a strange mixture, blending a determination to be bang up-to-the-minute with the trends of 1967/68 with a routine espionage story. A series of bizarre 'Happenings' and weird performance art, together with Judy Geeson's groovy young thing, the latter the highlight of the movie for me, hardly fail to disguise the kind of plot that had been churned out ad infinitum on TV. Vince Edwards is perhaps best described as adequate in the lead; he's OK but not particularly memorable. Peter Vaughan was born to play a super-villain, but his Hammerhead must have been on the screen for all of ten minutes. He doesn't even get to fight the hero and his demise is pretty nondescript. Neither William Mervyn nor Patrick Cargill, excellent character players both, are seen at their best, though Diana Dors is in her element as the proprietor of a dubious nightclub. The finale with Michael Bates in a dual role tends to drag on.