Good concept, poorly executed.

Excellent adaptation.

Blistering performances.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Okay, so The Liquidator could be described by purist fans of the James Bond franchise collection as a compliment to the previous years 1964 release of James Bond's "Goldfinger" right down to having the classy Shirley Bassey singing the introduction score of both films as only Shirley Bassey can. But The Liquidator does more than an admirable job of standing the test of time over the past 52 years such that Rod Taylor and Jill St. John's performances should always be remembered for being the feature stars of this tongue in cheek ode to the spy genre.I really enjoyed it and I will be sure to be purchasing a copy of this grand action and fun filled film for my personal viewing pleasure so that I don't have to wait a few more years for TCM to re-run a series of all the Rod Taylor classic films that were box office successes.Rod Taylor plays something of a combination of a poor man's James Bond who enjoys romancing a variety of beautiful women and even a funnier man's Inspector Clouseau with both charm and candor and a whole lot of gullibility. This film provides for fans of Rod Taylor why this Australian born actor could not be stereotyped as just a leading man, or as a dramatic actor in suspenseful roles as in THE BIRDS, or as a captain of a spaceship or as a cowboy. No, Rod Taylor is much like a chameleon who can change color or acting style as the film requires of him.Ann-Margret also does an excellent job playing Iris MacIntosh, the administrative assistant to the Colonel Mostyn, played by Trevor Howard. The film is filled to the brim and overflowing with plot, romance, action and most importantly much humor and wit by Rod Taylor.I liked The Liquidator and I believe you will too. I give this 52 year old film a very strong 8 out of 10 rating and I for one will be sure to be watching it again as this spy genre spoof has held up very well thank you.

Rod Taylor is always a likable actor, with his curled-up ears, big rolling eyes, and cocky demeanor. Like Cary Grant or Sean Connery, he's a little hard to take seriously. And there's a good supporting cast in this spy spoof as well -- Wilfred Hyde-White, Trevor Howard, David Tomlinson, the succulent Jill St. John.Taylor is recruited as a temporary James Bond figure, so outside the usual frame of spyhood that he must be trained from the start. Certainly no one would suspect him of anything except hustling young ladies.There's an amusing scene at the climax with a terrified Taylor all alone at the controls of a British bomber, knowing nothing of flying, and being talked down by a droll Richard Wattis. It was all directed by Jack Cardiff too.Yet it fails. Maybe it seemed still fresh in 1964. But there have been so MANY send ups of James Bond since the early 60s, and after all, with Sean Connery as the central figure, the series was bound to be a spoof of itself. Some of the imitations were relatively earnest and were entertaining in themselves, like Charles Vine in "The Second Best Secret Agent In The Whole Wide World." But then there was an argosy of others like "Our Man Flint." By 1967, the genre seemed to have run its course and the green-lighters gave up and came out with the frankly absurd and sometimes hilarious "Casino Royale," with a dozen different Bonds. The original franchise continues to gasp and lurch unsteadily forward, a marathon runner out of steam, refreshed by the occasional draught of viewers too young and too incurious to know they're watching the spectacle of a living corpse.I like Rod Taylor, but this just isn't worth it.

'The Liquidator' was based on the first published novel by John Gardner, whom years later continued the literary James Bond saga. Embarrassed by a number of high-profile spy scandals, 'The Chief' ( Wilfrid Hyde-White ) of the Department of Special Security orders his second-in-command 'Mostyn' ( Trevor Howard ) to recruit a new agent - to be codenamed 'L' ( guess what that stands for? ) - to eliminate potential security risks. The man Mostyn selects is ex-army sergeant 'Brian Ian Oakes', who goes by the bizarre nickname of 'Boysie' ( Rod Taylor ). Boysie enjoys the high living and lots of pretty girls cross his bedroom floor, but he is not a cold-blooded killer and has to hire a cheap hit-man - 'Charlie Griffin' ( Eric Sykes ) to do the killing for him. Directed by cinematographer Jack Cardiff, this is a lot of fun, and benefits from good location shooting in Nice as well as a top-notch cast. Future 007 girl Jill St.John is 'Iris Macintosh', Mostyn's secretary, whom Boysie tempts overseas for a dirty weekend, thereby breaching Department guidelines. It is a far more interesting character than 'Tiffany Case', the one she played in 'Diamonds Are Forever'. John is given strong competition in the glamour department from sultry Gabriella Licudi, who plays 'Corale', the girl intended to lure Oakes into a trap. Villainy is provided by Akim Tamiroff and John Le Mesurier. The always reliable David Tomlinson appears in the role of 'Quadrant'. In smaller roles are familiar faces of the calibre of Colin Gordon, Derek Nimmo, Alexandra Bastedo ( of 'The Champions' ), Vernon Dobtcheff, and Ronald Leigh-Hunt. Peter Yeldham's script is faithful to the novel, and the film as a whole does not make the mistake of trying to be a pseudo-Bond clone. You will not find any hollowed-out volcanoes or gadget-ridden cars here. As Boysie, Taylor gives a likable, amusing performance ( I disagree with those who claim he was miscast ). The powerful title song performed by Shirley Bassey would not have disgraced a real Bond movie. It is a shame that there were no sequels ( 'Understrike' and 'Amber Nine' were both crying out for celluloid ). Like 'Where The Spies Are' starring David Niven, this was to be a one-off big screen outing for its leading character.

This has always been one of my favorite movies. I always loved James Bond spoofs such as the Derrick Flint and Matt Helm movies, and "The Liquidator" stands above those.Rod Taylor plays Boysie Oakes, a hapless tank commander at the end of WWII, who accidentally saves Colonel Mostyn (Trevor Howard) from two rival spies. Years later, when Britain's spy network is inundated with embarrassing counter-spies, Mostyn remembers Oakes and hires him as "Agent L" (Liquidator) to neatly get rid of these embarrassments. Unable to carry out these liquidations, Oakes hires a private contractor, Griffen (Eric Sykes). Oakes keeps this to himself as he loves the playboy lifestyle that he now lives. Taylor has the unique ability to seem inept at being a spy, while at the same time showing skills above and beyond those around him, and making it all perfectly believable.The subtle comedy and all of the twists and turns (likely and unlikely) make this a very enjoyable and engrossing film. Jill St. John as Iris is great eye-candy and plays the part to the hilt. Her acting complements Taylor's without upstaging him.I highly recommend this film and wish it to be released on DVD.