Wonder Women (1973)

After the mysterious disappearance of one of the biggest names in Jai alai (a variation of the sport pelota), insurance investigator Mike Harber (Ross Hagen) is hired to try and find the missing sportsman. Mike's search leads him to the heavily guarded island fortress of Dr. Tsu (Nancy Kwan), where the unscrupulous surgeon has been harvesting the bodies of athletes abducted by her all-female army and using their limbs and organs in illegal transplant operations for the super-rich.Opening with a scene in which several topless female swimmers are abducted by Dr. Tsu's sexy hench-women, this early 70s USA/Philippines production starts as it means to go on by being unashamedly exploitative trash. As his film unfolds, director Robert Vincent O'Neill (who also gave us the equally exploitative Angel and Avenging Angel) piles on the outlandishness, delivering a prolonged chase scene through the streets of Manila (which involves some particularly perilous looking stunts), some really bad fight scenes (his actresses clearly total strangers to the martial arts), lots of leggy babes in revealing outfits, and a very silly finale that sees a bunch of Dr. Tsu's failed experiments running amok on the island (the daft creatures including a half man/half ape and a guy who sports a glass cranium with an orange beacon inside). All of this is accompanied by a cool funky '70s soundtrack.The movie's kitschy style also adds immensely to the fun factor: there are go-go boots and hot-pants aplenty, Dr. Tsu's operating theatre boasts cutting-edge psychedelic coloured lighting and swirly hypno-discs (while her PVC operating gown is the height of '70s surgical fashion), and Mike samples the delights of 'brain sex' via a silly high-tech headband covered with diodes.Add supporting roles for cult favourites Vic Dias and Sid Haig, and what you have is a delightfully daft piece of nonsense—not great film-making by any stretch of the imagination—but highly entertaining nonetheless.

I loved this movie because is was mostly a change from the all too common army of boring guys in baggy fatigues. Here you had an army of women and they were dressed ultra feminine and dressed sexy too. These gorgeous cute satin micro mini-dresses and holding machine guns. These sexy women may have been well armed, but they were no match for the well trained hero (Hagen). So during the running gun battle near the end of the movie, these women are dropping dead like flies as his machine gun speaks. It not vicious or gory movie. Most of the kills are nice, clean, and neat. Ross Hagen is great as Mr. Harbor, a wise cracking investigator and secret agent.

Ever been bored by reviewing some James Bond/Roger Moore vehicles from the Seventies which you remembered to be entertaining? Then this is what you need: A proletarian, tongue-in-cheek Bond-like action flick (or ARE they possibly serious with this kinda stuff? We'll never know...). A movie garbage can overwhelmingly filled with cheesy sex, GWG (girls with guns, bra and thighs included), sleazy villain Ross Hagen as the hero, a bit of horror, some mutants, a lot of action, a bit of whatever you want. If you don't expect watching a Bergman movie. Real weird cheesy trash with lots of genuine seventies'"trashion", all deliciously and perfectly ripened through the years. A guilty please of mine. Great fun!

What I remember about the film was the only known star was Nancy Kwan, which meant it was truly a low-budget effort. Set in the Philippines, Hagen stars as a private eye who's on the hunt for a group of women kidnappers. Hagen gets to fight one female; On second thought it wasn't much of a fight. Hagen gets tossed all over the room, ruining furniture and appliances in the process, but still survives(!), despite the strength of his genetically-engineered female foe. He wins her trust and she leads him to the lair of Nancy Kwan, the evil scientist (!!). Atrocious acting, some good fight scenes, lush Manila scenery, poor plot. Strictly for enthusiasts of apartment-style mixed wrestling.