So Darling, So Deadly (1966)

Truly Dreadful Film

Good concept, poorly executed.

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

"Kommissar X - In den Klauen des goldenen Drachen" is a co-production of no less than four countries that results in this 90-minute movie from 1966, which means the film had its 50th anniversary last year. The director is Italian Gianfranco Parolini (still alive today approaching 90) and he is also one of the people who worked on the script for this movie. If you hear his name and the name of lead actor Tony Kendall, who plays the title character, then maybe you already guess correctly that this is another Jo Louis Walker film. One of many actually. And it would certainly not be wrong to call these the German approach to the (back then) quickly rising and highly popular James Bond franchise. Just like with Bond, there are political references here (Cold War), there are sinister power-hungry villains, there are extremely attractive women, some good some bad, and then there is a secret agent in the center of it who is luckily skilled enough to stay alive all the time despite all kinds of people trying to murder him. And of course Bond also travels the world and this film takes place entirely in Asia. Singapore is fittingly also one of the production countries.This is the second Kommissar X film I have seen. The very first one I was not too big about, but this one here about a filter that can turn a laser beam into a death ray way genuinely enjoyable and probably closer to a ****/***** than to a **/*****. One memorable scene after the next. The one on the boat with the guy(s) shooting at Walker (yes I almost wrote Bond), the one with the spiked ceiling moving towards Walker and his partner. Oh yeah, this is one major difference to Bond. At times, in this film here, it feels as if there are really two lead actors, a dark-haired one and one with lighter hair, so you can make your pick ladies which one you want to be rescued by. Okay the acting is not always great and sometimes the plot gets a bit too gimmicky (even if I like that sometimes too), but all in all this was actually convincing watch and not only the lead actors are at least as attractive physically as Connery, Moore and Lazenby I guess, but some of the scenes feel as if they are right out of Bond movies and as somebody who really loves the 007 franchise, this is definitely a seal of approval. I recommend this movie that is also known as "Agent Joe Walker: Operation Far East" or "So Darling, So Deadly". Criminally underseen for sure.

In this third film of the "Kommissar X" series, the private detective named " Joe Walker" (Tony Kendall) is hired to go to Singapore to meet with an atomic physicist named "Professor Akron" (Ernst Fritz Furbringer) in desperate need of protection from foreign agents who want his new invention concerning a powerful laser beam capable of downing any airplane in flight. Traveling with him is his good friend "Captain Tom Roland" (Brad Harris) of the New York Police Department who often helps him regarding matters of this nature. Once they get there, however, they are met by several assassination attempts which only serves to underscore the importance of their mission. Now, as far as the merits of this film is concerned, I must say that I didn't think it was quite as good as it predecessors in large part because of the lack of character development and the multitude of low-quality fight scenes which seemed to completely dominate the picture. It also lacked the necessary mystery or suspense required of a film of this type. Because of that I have rated this movie accordingly. Slightly below average.

Detective Jo Walker (Tony Kendall) and New York Police Captain Tom Rowland (Brad Harris) are sent to Singapore to protect Professor Akron and his latest invention – a laser filter than can be used to shut down electrical engines from miles away. As soon as Walker and Rowland hit Singapore, the baddies start coming out of the woodwork and the Professor ends up the prisoner of the mysterious Golden Dragon. Walker and Rowland's new mission – rescue the professor, protect his daughter, and safeguard the filter.It's hard to watch and write about So Darling, So Deadly and not compare it with the first Kommissar X film, Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill. Unfortunately, the sequel is inferior to the original in almost every way. The gadgets aren't as plentiful, the underground lair isn't as cool, the women aren't as beautiful, the locations aren't as nice, and the plot makes even less sense. But then again, Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill is one of my new favorite Eurospy films – so it would have been very difficult for anything to measure up. And that's not to say So Darling, So Deadly is a bad movie. It's actually quite a bit of fun. Kendall and Harris probably work off each other better in this movie than in the first. They make a great team. Second, while I enjoyed the locations of Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill more, there's something to be said for exotic Singapore. It's not what you usually see in a low-budget Eurospy film. Third, some of Brad Harris' scenes are so bizarre I couldn't help but have fun with them. For example, if you're on a mission to protect a scientist and, ultimately, save the world, why would Rowland go water-skiing the minute he hits Singapore? Just weird. And what about Rowland's dancing – it's laugh-out-loud funny. You have to love the guy! Another plus is the film's pacing. There really are very few dull moments. It's pretty much non-stop from the word "go". Finally, Nikola Popovic's return in So Darling, So Deadly. He was the chief bad guy, O'Brien, in the first film and I really enjoyed his work. Here, it's odd to see him in terribly un-PC yellow face, but he's fun nonetheless. So while it may not measure up to the first Kommissar X film, So Darling, So Deadly is a reasonably entertaining movie in its own right.

Set in Singapore, this entry in the "Kommissar X" series is a step down from "Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill". The main problem is the plot, which is so loose and disconnected that it feels almost non-existent. Most of the film simply consists of Joe Walker and his sidekick Tom Rowland going from place to place, getting attacked by random goons, beating them up, Joe flirting with a lady, repeat. The scenery is nice, there are plenty of beautiful women, and the leads still have their charm, but the film never really comes together, and in all honesty it's a bit of a bore. Oddest aspect: the actors who played the villain and the No. 1 henchman in "Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill" are back, as different but almost identical characters! (**)