SO DARLING, SO DEADLY (1966)
aka Kommissar X – In den Klauen des goldenen Drachen, Agent Joe Walker – Operation Far East
Article 4901 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 8-15-2015
Directed by Gianfranco Parolini
Featuring Tony Kendall, Brad Harris, Barbara Frey
Country: Singapore / Italy / Austria / West Germany
What it is: Spyghetti

Agent Joe Walker and his sidekick Captain Tom Rowland go to Singapore to visit a scientist who has developed a filter that can turn lasers into death rays. However, an evil organization called the Red Dragon is also after the filter.

I’ve encountered the Kommissar X series once before with KISS KISS, KILL KILL, and I quite liked that one; they’re basically superspy pastiches with a somewhat lighter touch to them. I’m less taken with this one; the lightness feels a little more forced, the characters aren’t quite as much fun, the humor gets a little too Matt Helm-ish for my taste, there’s not a whole lot to the story, and the action sequences aren’t very satisfying. Granted, they’re not to be taken very seriously, but even on those terms, this one is a bit on the dull side. I hope this one is just a dip in the quality of the series, as most likely I’ll be watching all of them. The fantastic content is put on display once during the first half of the movie; then it falls into the category of a Gizmo Maguffin and isn’t used again. I was a little disappointed by this one.