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mrhomers-34601
Reviews
Our Man Flint: Dead on Target (1976)
Flint -- In Name Only
I've rarely been as disappointed with a film I so wanted to like as this one. Flint was easily my favorite Bond parody/knock-off. And I realize the spy film craze had reached its zenith when the original Flint movies were released a decade prior. Yet this "pilot" telefilm has none of the charm and suave cool that the Coburn films had. No clever gadgets. No cool sets. No cheesy cheekiness.
I accept that a TV movie has budget constraints. Especially one in the mid-1970s. But this was just downright BAD. It has that "low budget" look and feel from start to finish. Repetitious shots of the lead driving. Overall poor photography combined with what I'd label lazy scriptwriting.
But worst of all is wasting Ray Danton.
Danton, with a better script, could easily have captured Flint's persona. And herein lies the source of my greatest disappointment. His Eurospy outings--"Code Name: Jaguar" and "Secret Agent Super Dragon" displayed a certain coolness essential to the character of Derek Flint. Actually, I can't imagine anyone at the time who would have been better suited to assume the role, at least on the small screen.
Such a wasted opportunity..