Danger: Diabolik (1968)

 Danger: Diabolik (1968)

Danger: Diabolik is a cheesy, campy exploitation film that makes you scratch your head wondering how on earth this film was greenlighted. On paper, the film should have been a horrible James Bond spinoff….but I was down for every second of this movie. What if James Bond was a Bond villain with some Batman attributes? From the opening helicopter action sequence, that is what this movie feels like. Based off a long-running Italian comic strip, the movie was released during a time where the 1960’s counterculture movement was prevalent. Diabolik is an anti-hero, not a government contracted person. Considering the Italians were losers of a major war only two decades earlier, faith in the institution of government was not high and that can be seen within the actions and movements of our silver screen heroes.

I mentioned how I wonder how the film was given the greenlight. Once it received the greenlight, there was plenty of production problems. Producer Dino de Laurentiis had to shut down the film because he felt the quality of the dailies were abysmal. He believed it would be best to shut down production, which angered various production companies enough where they left and Paramount had to step in, and start with a brand-new director, script, and cast. Mario Bava was hired to direct and was seen as a viable director due to his name being recognized positively by cinephiles. John Philip Law was cast in the lead role, but there were some issues with the leading lady. Catherine Denevue was initially cast but was fired because she had no chemistry with Law, and it really was not a suitable role for someone of her stature. Marisa Mell was hired instead, and the two leads instantly fell into each other’s arms metaphorically and literally speaking. With the production being shut down many times for various problems, it is amazing this feature got to see the light of day…and was actually this entertaining.

Bava’s film is technically competent given where and when it was filmed. Antonio Rinaldi provided excellent cinematography. Those underwater sequences were shot very well. The production design worked very well for me. Loved the design of the underwater lair which reminds me of a combination of the Batcave and a Bond villain’s lair. Ennio Morricone proves with each movie why he is one of the best composers ever to score a film, and this film is no exception. His themes are memorable and will stick in your mind for a long, long time. Bava took a visual effects heavy approach with his movie. Being the 1960’s, you can imagine how “good” they are. They did add to the cheesy approach of the story.

Taking place in a generic European country (hmmm any guesses? Italy?), Diabolik (John Philip Law) is a thief who steals from the government and other entities for his own amusement. He has his own underground lair with a bed of, you guess it, money. He shares his lifestyle and lair with the stunningly gorgeous girlfriend of his, Eva Kant (Marisa Mell). Because he is who he is, he has his own detractors. Being chased by the police led by Inspector Ginko (Michel Piccoli) and the mafia led by Ralph Valmont (Adolfo Celi), Diabolik may have his hands full.

The performances are solid. Nothing overly special, but the actors are well aware this is a B-movie. John Philip Law spends most of the time hidden under a black, skintight mask but he does use his eyebrow motions to grand effect. He did exhibit strong chemistry with Marisa Mell who was obviously hired because of her looks. Michel Piccoli, known for playing tough-nosed guys, delivers something a bit different and might give the film’s best performance.

Overall, Danger: Diabolik is lots of fun. It is a B-movie, but it does not take itself seriously and it knows its place. Over the course of time, it has received favorable comparisons to movies like Barbarella. There is lots of action and some of it impresses. The whole climbing up the tower scene comes to mind. Being filmed in Italy, you do get plenty of gorgeous shots. Capri is one of my favorite places I have been to, so maybe that is another reason why I enjoyed the film as much as I did. You want a fun movie that does not take itself so seriously? Well, this is one I can absolutely recommend!

My Grade: A-