Special Mission Lady Chaplin (1966)

- Missione speciale Lady Chaplin
I hate that they only made three of these movies, 23 June 2009

Special Mission Lady Chaplin is the third and final installment in the Agent 077 Dick Malloy series. I realize it's a matter of opinion, but they might just have saved the best for last. In this one, Dick Malloy (Ken Clark) is searching for 16 nuclear warheads taken from a downed submarine. Suspicion immediately falls on underwater salvager and mega-rich Kobre Zoltan (Jacques Bergerac). And these suspicions are soon proved true as he tries to sell the bombs to the highest bidder. Working with Zoltan is his right hand woman, Lady Chaplin (Daniela Bianchi). She's a world renowned fashion designer, a master of disguise, and a heartless assassin. Can Malloy lure Lady Chaplin over to his side in his effort to find the missiles?

Whether this is your favorite of the series or not, one thing seems clear, this is the most James Bond-ish movie of the bunch. From the music to the wonderful villain to the presence of Daniela Bianchi to the whole feel of the film – it all screams James Bond. It's not hard to picture Sean Connery fighting the man with the steal hook or coming out of the water with a grenade launching spear gun or romancing Lady Chaplin. Bond would have been right at home. Even the plot should seem familiar to Bond fans. It's basically yet another version of Thunderball.

While it's difficult to compare a movie like Special Mission Lady Chaplin to a James Bond film because of budgetary considerations, that doesn't keep this movie from being a lot of fun. Once again, Ken Clark is outstanding. By this, the third film he played Malloy, he'd really made the character his own. Jacques Bergerac makes for a great super villain. He's cocky, sure of himself, and ruthless - everything you want in a bad guy. As is usual in this kind of movie, Daniela Bianchi is terrific. And, she looked to be having a wonderful time in her role. The movie is well paced with very few dull spots to slow things down. Lots of good fight scenes, spy gadgets, and groovy clothes are other highlights of Special Mission Lady Chaplin. The exotic locations add a lot to the overall feel of the film. I've already mentioned the music, but I'll do so again. Bruno Nicolai's score is rock solid. That theme music will definitely get stuck in your head. Anyway you look at it, this one's a keeper. If I've got one complaint it would be the poor quality of the dubbing. It really distracts from things.

8/10