Mission Bloody Mary (1965)

Virile blond stud Ken Clark slugs and shoots his way from Paris to Madrid and back in "Mission Bloody Mary." Directed with momentum by "Beast with a Gun" director Sergio Grieco, this fast-moving secret agent escapade qualifies as an above-average but low-budget knock-off of the fourth Sean Connery James Bond epic "Thunderball." The first installment in a three film franchise about tenacious CIA Agent Dick Molloy, who rates as quite the ladies man, puts him on the trail of a mysterious organization that calls itself the Black Lilly. They use a resourceful impostor to sneak aboard a Strategic Air Command bomber and snatch a top-secret American nuclear warhead which the Black Lilly plans to sell to the Red Chinese unless the Soviets can acquire it first in this melodramatic international Cold War saga of action and intrigue. Of course, the impostor demands a bigger pay-off after he risks his life to seize the bomb for his employers. Naturally, the villains are prepared for this treachery and they barbecue the turncoat for his perfidy. Grieco stages a nimble scramble of a chase across the rooftops in Paris, a fistfight in the hold of a freighter off the Spanish coast, and a savage knockdown drag-out brawl in a train compartment along with several surprises right up to the last five that make this a exciting as well as entertaining adventure opus. Incidentally, the film derives part of its title "Bloody Mary" from the code name for the explosive device. There is an interesting strip tease scene in Paris when a beautiful Asian circulates around a room and allows the gentlemen, usually seated with their women, to remove articles of her clothing. She lets Molloy unsnap her bra which contains a message about a future rendezvous.

I'm relatively new to the whole Euro-Spy movie scene and, as a result, I may have misjudged some movies in the past (i.e. I may have to go back and re-do some user comments). I've been looking at these movies as poor James Bond imitations that could never possibly live up to the real thing. But you know, I've come to realize there is a certain charm to be found in many of these movies. The Euro-Spy movies I've seen so far generally feature plenty of fight scenes, car chases, handsome leading men, beautiful women, often breathtaking locations, interesting villains, catchy music, and some real creative and original ideas. These movies were most often made on shoestring budgets with tight shooting schedules and fuzzy plots and very often featuring actors that no one would call Oscar caliber. But the most important thing about Euro-Spy movies that I've come to realize is what an absolute blast many of them are. This has got to be the most fun and entertaining overlooked genre of films out there.On to the movie at hand – Mission Bloody Mary. I've seen some Euro-Spy movies that I enjoyed more, but this is a good one. Ken Clark plays CIA Agent Dick Malloy. He's a no nonsense kind of agent who uses his fists with the best of them. In Mission Bloody Mary, Malloy is hot on the trail of a stolen nuclear device. But he's not alone. It seems that every one from the Chinese to the Russians to a mysterious character known only as the Black Lily is also after the device. Complicating matters (or at least making things more interesting) is Malloy's would-be partner Elsa Freeman (Helga Line). Malloy spends a good part of the movie and a good deal of energy trying to determine just which side she's on – his or theirs.Mission Bloody Mary may not be as over-the-top as other Euro-Spy movies, but it's still very entertaining. Clark makes an excellent lead. He's a rough and tumble kind of guy with a winning smile and a good screen presence. Like a lot of these Euro movies from the 60s, the biggest downside of Clark's character comes from the spotty dubbing. Any movie with Helga Line is better just because she's in it. Mission Bloody Mary may be one of my more favorite performances I've seen from her. The plot is solid and never gets in the way of the action. The movie moves at a good pace with very few dull spots. My biggest complaint is the Black Lily. The actual menace provided by this master criminal is disappointing to say the least. The budget was obviously tight on the film but Sergio Grieco does the best with what he's got. One of the "special effects" I really got a kick out of is the nuclear device itself. It reminds me of a 1950s era chrome juicer that kind of wiggles every time the case it's in is opened. It's silly looking alright, but for me it only adds to the movie's charm I mentioned previously.Overall, I'd call Mission Bloody Mary a solid, fun movie. I've got very few reservations in my 7/10 rating.

The early sixties brought the best James Bond films ,thanks to Sean Connery's incomparable charisma and humor.In their wake ,a countless spate of sub-007 began to appear:OSS 117,Coplan,and the nadir of them all:O77(sic) Dick Maloy.This one was the first featuring this two-bit spy and it's really a poor man's James Bond;to give you an idea of what's waiting for you,the hero and the villains carry an atomic bomb in a simple case!The plot is a cock and bull story ,where the characters appear and disappear,without bringing anything to the story.actually,the purpose of every scenes is to put up a fight so as to show the hero's steel fists.If you find some logic in the sequence of events ,you are a genius.Another Trafalgar.

I saw this film as an 11 year old as a 10:30am morning show at the local cinema in Bangalore, India. At the time, there were a lot of Italian spy movies about with Ken Clark or Kerwin Matthews and to us under-age kids these 'Adults only' type films were enjoyable forbidden fruit! Of course, it was the post-McCarthy era with the ethos still firmly on the "Red under the bed" attitude and most of us thought the spies were heroes. Among our group, having seen "Bloody Mary" was the 'in' thing and just about everybody was 'in'.