You won't be disappointed!

Sadly Over-hyped

Pretty Good

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

A muddled European spy film, recommended for those only with a high tolerance for the genre. Despite having a number of exotic locations and being an Austrian (!), Italian, Spanish and French co-production, with the typically offbeat European set design which never fails to impress, this movie is let down through some very bad editing (which makes you wonder what on earth is happening at some crucial points) and a typically contrived and confusing plot involving people who appear and disappear at will throughout the story.Okay, so this is a bad movie, but that doesn't mean its not without its good points. Things kick off with the kidnapping of a young blonde woman (aren't they always in these movies) by three thugs, who are chased by an American agent. Unfortunately he crashes his car (twice, judging by the explosions??) and is killed by a bald assassin. "This blow on his head - how was it done?" asks a curious bystander. "Karate!" answers the investigating policeman. Of course, the Americans don't take too kindly to their men being killed off like this, so in their fight against "gangsterism" they send in their best man, Captain Roland. He's better known as Brad Harris, a Euro-veteran with many films under his belt. His presence lends an agreeably tough angle to the movie. Roland is so tough that he can punch holes in solid metal blocks! Also on the scene is Walker, a top-secret spy agent who also happens to be a bit of a womaniser in his spare time. This slick playboy is played by none other than Tony Kendall, another hot Euro-property in those days. Walker's first piece of action is to battle a Chinese assassin in his hotel room, eventually throwing him in an acid bath (after watching GOLDFINGER last night, I'm struck by the similarity of a similar scene in the film's opening - you know, the "shocking" bit). After this the pacing becomes more laid back, with lots of plot and intrigue interspersed with some cool scenes of action, including a rooftop chase and a shootout train chase with a car.Events don't really pick up again until the last fifteen minutes, where all hell breaks loose, but until then the film is pretty boring, it has to be said. Rudolf Zehetgruber's direction is pretty static and obvious, with only the occasional flash of inspiration: like the scene where a striking snake cuts to a striking karate assassin! There are some imaginative scenes, like a plane full of mysterious men in black or the exceptionally eerie vista of a lake full of dead, skeletal trees, complimented by the howling wind. These are too few between to retain the interest, though.By far the best, and most fun, character in the movie is King, the bald karate assassin. This film was made in the days when karate was supposed to be mysterious and wonderful and King is hilarious as he goes around chopping people! Of course you know when he's going for the death blow because he always ties a black bandanna around his head beforehand! An excellent scene at the end of the film sees him taking on Brad Harris in a one-to-one battle in a spooky old temple surrounded by people in yellow cat masks (he also wears a yellow cape in this scene). Hilarious, mouth-dropping stuff.So, all in all, this is is routine sub-Bond spy rip-off, with some chases and fights to keep it watchable, but it never becomes good, like Margheriti's own LIGHTNING BOLT, another open rip-off produced with some style. Events play out to a jazzy soundtrack yet again and the film is leisurely paced and laid back. Peplum actor Dan Vadis also makes an appearance as the cool bald karate assassin. This film is recommended only to those of you who like real obscurities!

Being new to the Eurospy scene, there are a couple of websites that I check out for news and reviews. I was shocked when I noticed that one of the sites I really like called Death Is Nimble, Death Is Quick the best of the three Kommissar X films in Retromedia's set. To me, the opposite is true. In my opinion, Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill and So Darling, So Deadly are both superior to Death Is Nimble, Death Is Quick. The problem – no discernible plot. I defy anyone to watch Death Is Nimble, Death Is Quick and tell me just what's going on. Maybe I missed something, but to me the movie is little more than a seemingly random series of set-pieces. Sure, some of the scenes are very enjoyable (the hotel rooftop chase and the final karate showdown being two wonderful examples) and Tony Kendall and Brad Harris' on-screen chemistry is strong, but without a coherent story, I lost interest in what was going on. I think my 5/10 rating is generous.One reason I've rated Death Is Nimble, Death Is Quick higher than I probably should have is the scene set in what I'll call the Haunted Swamp. It's very well done. Creepy music, twisted trees, an abandoned/crumbling old house, and a "fire-breathing monster" (very reminiscent of Dr. No) make these scenes really stand out. Very atmospheric. I just wish there had been a story to go along with the wonderful images.

"Death Is Nimble, Death Is Quick" is the third movie included in the "Kommissar X" DVD collection, and the first thing that must be noted is that it has by far the worst picture quality of the three: the color especially is all wrong, and the sky & sea end up looking green instead of blue. There also appear to be some scenes missing at one or two spots, unless it was just bad editing to begin with. The film does feature some impressive stuntwork (such as a hotel rooftop chase that ends with both guys jumping from the roof to the ground below), a memorable fight between Captain Rowland and an evil karate master, and a slim and spirited leading lady (Ann Smyrner). But in between the few good scenes, the vague plot does not hold much interest, and there is a bit too much talk. Out of these 3 movies, "Kiss Kiss Kill Kill" follows the Bond formula most faithfully, and comes off as easily the best; the other two try to follow their own path more, and end up getting lost in the way. (**)

One of six films in the German "Kommissar X" series, this plays a bit like a "Dr. No" wannabe with the action switched to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and with two heroes instead of one. The heroes are played by Tony Kendall and Brad Harris and the bald-headed henchman by Dan Vadis and together or separately these three actors appeared in a number of those sword-and-sandal and secret-agent and spaghetti-western movies which came out of Europe in the 1960s. As an example of the secret-agent genre, this is familiar and forgettable but modestly entertaining if one isn't too demanding. There's a goodly amount of action, a bit of exotic scenery, (though not as much as one would wish), and a couple of pretty girls -- one blonde and one with black hair. The chief villain turns out to be one of those "mad scientists" who's perfected a deadly form of bacteria. Tony Kendall manages to get his shirt off fairly early while undressing for a bath and Dan Vadis strips to the waist for a fight scene but, alas, Brad Harris remains shirted throughout. Both Kendall and Harris, however, briefly wind up in bondage situations. While watching this makes for harmless time-killing, one probably won't be inspired to track down the other "Kommissar X" movies.