By the 1970s, El Santo had transformed from a Batman-style caped crusader into something entirely different: a James Bond-style, globetrotting hero who just happens to wear a silver mask along with his suit while he's fighting crimes. SANTO VS. DOCTOR DEATH is the second of these Bondian adventures, and it's chock full of glamorous women, Interpol agents, and bust-ups in hotel rooms. It's also probably the worst-plotted Santo movie you'll see, as the main story here – about a madman growing tumours to use in his painting – makes absolutely no sense whatsoever and is merely a hook on which to hang the storyline. When things begin, you'll swear you're watching a MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE rip-off, as a guy breaks into an art gallery to deface a painting; by the end, in which Santo duels with a villain using speedboats and hangs from a helicopter, you'll be convinced this is a Bond flick. It's very derivative and there's no originality to speak of.
Sadly this isn't one of Santo's better movies, despite some decent action sequences. Although there are great plot ingredients, as a whole it's a confusing mess. Santo doesn't seem to be trying quite as hard here, and despite decent eye candy from the likes of Helga Line, the supporting cast are a disappointment. Son of the director, Carlos Romero Merchante is Santo's sidekick for this film alone, and it's a laugh to see this skinny, floppy-haired guy beating the bad guys with the same gusto as our hulking hero. It was a kick to see Spanish film regular Frank Brana (who cemented his career with appearances in all three films in Sergio Leone's DOLLARS trilogy) appearing as a henchman whom Santo knocks out in one scene.
Still, there is some fun to be had, whether it's the see-through nightgowns the ladies wear, the acid bath in the basement (always a classic), the excellent series of traps that Santo has to face at the film's climax (fire, machine guns, arrows, falling roofs), the always-fun wrestling bouts dotted here and there, the cheesy car chase or the great fights (the hotel and bathroom fights are my tops). It's just a shame these moments put together take up about twenty minutes of the running time, while the rest of the film is dull.
Sadly this isn't one of Santo's better movies, despite some decent action sequences. Although there are great plot ingredients, as a whole it's a confusing mess. Santo doesn't seem to be trying quite as hard here, and despite decent eye candy from the likes of Helga Line, the supporting cast are a disappointment. Son of the director, Carlos Romero Merchante is Santo's sidekick for this film alone, and it's a laugh to see this skinny, floppy-haired guy beating the bad guys with the same gusto as our hulking hero. It was a kick to see Spanish film regular Frank Brana (who cemented his career with appearances in all three films in Sergio Leone's DOLLARS trilogy) appearing as a henchman whom Santo knocks out in one scene.
Still, there is some fun to be had, whether it's the see-through nightgowns the ladies wear, the acid bath in the basement (always a classic), the excellent series of traps that Santo has to face at the film's climax (fire, machine guns, arrows, falling roofs), the always-fun wrestling bouts dotted here and there, the cheesy car chase or the great fights (the hotel and bathroom fights are my tops). It's just a shame these moments put together take up about twenty minutes of the running time, while the rest of the film is dull.