PASSPORT TO HELL (1965)
aka Agente 3S3: Passaporto per l’inferno
Article 3027 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 8-21-2009
Posting Date: 11-27-2009
Directed by Sergio Sollima
Featuring George Ardisson, Barbara Simon, Georges Riviere
Country: Italy / France / Spain

A CIA agent is sent on a mission to investigate a criminal organization that is responsible for another agent’s death. He is searching for a former secret agent now known as Mr. A, and his only clue to his location is Mr. A’s daughter.

This is another example of the spyghetti genre, those Italian spy movies that followed in the wake of the success of the James Bond movies. This one is solid if unspectacular; the story is straightforward and the action sequences are okay. The music is pretty strange on occasion; I’d love to know the name of that freaky novelty record that plays on the jukebox during the bar brawl. The fantastic content is limited to a small handful of gadgets; all in all, this is one of the less parodistic examples of the genre. It would spawn one sequel before the character was retired. It’s not great, but enjoyable enough.