Mission Bloody Mary (1965) User Reviews

Nice Euro-Spy Fun

[bensonmum2 · 7/10 · 19 June 2009]

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.

Routine Italian/Spanish/French coproduction Euro-spy movie stars Dick Malloy nicely performed by Ken Clark

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 24 November 2022]

Ordinary Euro spy movie coproduced by Spain/Italy with usual trappings : thrills , chases , shootouts and sightseeing . Eurospy movies unite more countries than a World War . The first Euro-spy of 3 that Ken Clark as Agent 077 starred in the 60's , here he's on a search and destroy mission to take back Bloody Maryc, a portable nuclear weaponc, from the Black Lily crime syndicate. As he's assigned by CIA Chief Heston (Philippe Hersent) to carry out the ¨Mission Bloody Mary¨ .

This is a Spain-Italy-France financing , made in 1965 resulting to be a typical Euro spy movie with ordinary ingredients : thriller , noisy action , crossfirec, cool gadgets , gorgeous women, exotic locations, fights , twists and turns . Although in 1965 the Eurospy craze was already running a bit thin , but this is a passable stuff , with its ups and downs and plot holes . A fashion and run-of-the-mill spy film at the time , meaning it stuck to a lot of what was currently popular , but here displaying some embarrassing and non-sense scenes . Stars Ken Clark who is still at his most agile and deft style , in fact he performs his own stunts . He acts in his usual style as a hard-boiled US agent .This charming leading role was played by Ken Clark as American secret agent Dick Malloy who had three cinematic adaptations , as Ken starred some Euro-spy movies such as Agente 077 missione Bloody Mary , Fury in the Bosphorus , Agent Secret FX 18 (1964) , among others . Ken Clark was one of many American hunk men as Steve Reeves , Gordon Scott , Reg Park, Mark Forest , Reg Lewis, Dan Vadis , Rock Stevens , Lou Ferrigno, emigrated to Italy to play a Sword and Sandals or Peplum movies , though none of them topped in popularity to Steve Reeves . As Ken Clark getting a certain success in Peplum , Spaghetti Western and Euro-spy genre .

It has attractive outdoors with Greek scenery handsomely shot , explosive women and including some top-notch fights . Action-packed and violent film in which our seductive agent Dick Malloy travels throughout various European countries in pursuit the nasty murderous, including an exciting final with a surprising twist . Formula thriller deemed to be an ordinary copy to James Bond films at the time such as ¨Dr. No¨ , ¨Thunderball¨ and especially ¨From Russia with love¨in which copies the train fight. The European answer to the Bond films in the 60s makes this title a must watch for spy afficionados . Stars Ken Clark as the two-fisted agent Dick Malloy , as he is the search and destroy mission to retrieve a Nuclear Bomb from a radical crime syndicate called the Black Lily commanded by a smart criminal mastermind . This is the first of three Eurospy films that Ken Clark starred in as Dick Malloy, Agent 077 . Being well accompanied by a charming Spanish actress who's in this as well , the beautiful Helga Line (Horror Express, So Sweet...So Perverse) , Maryse Guy Mitsouko (who would later be in Thunderball), Mirko Ellis (A Bullet for Rommel), Umberto Raho (The Bird with the Crystal Plumage), Andrea Scotti (The Fifth Cord) and Erika Blanc (The Night Evelyn Came Out of Her Grave), adding some notorious Spanish secondaries such as Alfredo Mayo , Félix Fernández and Tomás Blanco.

It contains an atmospheric cinematography by Juan Julio Baena shot on location in Paris , Athens , Barcelona , Monaco and other European cities . However, being extremely necessary a perfect remastering because of the film copy is washed-oot. The soundtrack is also heard very loudly and adequate by composer Angelo Francesco Lavagnino , adding catching songs . This run-of-the-mill Euro-spy movie co-produced by Italy/Spain/Italy was regular but professionally directed by Sergio Grieco . He was a good Italian artisan who made a lot of adventures, action and thrillers movies such as ¨Sergeant Klems¨, ¨SOS agent 017¨, ¨The mysterious swordsman¨ , ¨Lucrezia Borgia¨, ¨La regina dei Tartaro¨, ¨Il Capitano di Ferro¨, ¨Pirates of the Black Hawk¨ and he would also make the Eurospy films ¨Agent 077: From the Orient¨, ¨Password: Kill Agent Gordon¨, ¨Special Mission Lady Chaplin¨, ¨Argoman the Fantastic Superman¨ and ¨The Tiffany Memorandum¨and several other genres . Rating : 5/10 . Acceptable and passable Euro-thriller , but mediocre.

Mission Bloody Hell!

[ShadeGrenade · 7/10 · 3 July 2011]

Sergio Grieco's 'Mission Bloody Mary' was the first of three Eurospy pictures to star the late Ken Clark ( no, not that Ken Clark! ) as C.I.A. agent 'Dick Molloy' a.k.a. agent 077. His first assignment is a carbon-copy of 'Thunderball' - a new type of atomic bomb ( codenamed 'The Bloody Mary' ) which can fit into a briefcase has been stolen, and Dick must recover it before it winds up in China. The Russians want it too, along with a criminal mastermind known only as 'Black Lily' ( I kid you not! ). Much running, fighting, shooting, and fornicating ensues. The chase takes Dick from Paris to Barcelona and then to Greece.

Nice location filming and some of the action scenes - particularly a rooftop chase and a fight in a train clearly inspired by the one in 'From Russia With Love' - are well executed, but overall I found this a disappointment. Clark has all the charm of a battered and bruised nightclub bouncer. Worse, the script does not give him any good lines. Another reviewer wonders if he might have inspired the Leslie Nielsen character in 'Spy Hard'. I'm wondering whether or not Arthur Mullard based his performance as 'Wally Briggs' in 'Romany Jones' on him.

Not much gadgetry either. Dick has a knife in his watch to help him cut through his bonds, and a device for reconstructing paper from ashes but that's about it. It never moves into first gear, playing on one level throughout. There is not even a decent villain - the 'Black Lily' turns out to be as menacing as 'Matthew Lilley' of 'Get Some In!'. As 'Dr.Elsa Freeman', Helga Line is smoking hot. The beautiful Mitsouko was seen in the opening moments of 'Thunderball' as 'Madame LaPorte'.

The theme song was by Ennio Morricone, a busy chap in those days.

Hard to believe but Dick returned in 'From The Orient With Fury' ( 1966 ) and 'Special Mission Lady Chaplin' ( 1967 ).

France,Italy and Spain team up against England.

[dbdumonteil · 1/10 · 7 May 2004]

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.

The twists near the end make it worth it

[gridoon2024 · 6/10 · 30 December 2010]

Perhaps due to being more easily available on DVD than many other Eurospy movies, "Mission Bloody Mary" has a reputation of being one of the best entries in this vastly prolific genre. For the first hour or so you may find yourself wondering if that reputation is fully deserved, as it seems to be a competent but routine outing; however in the last half hour there are several clever plot twists that ultimately do make "Mission Bloody Mary" an above-average entry in the genre. There are the usual glamorous locations, including Paris, Barcelona and Athens, and some nifty gadgets, including a blade hidden inside a torchlight, and a liquid that enables our hero to reconstruct and read a message written on a piece of paper which had been burned to ashes! There is also a train fight that's very reminiscent of the Bond-Red Grant fight in "From Russia With Love". But one sequence that you will NOT find in a Bond film is agent 077's female contact baring her breasts (we don't see them) to show him her "distinguishing features"!. **1/2 out of 4.

Mission Bloody Mary

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 13 April 2020]

This is the first of three Eurospy films that Ken Clark starred in as Dick Malloy, Agent 077. This time, he's on a search and destroy mission to take back Bloody Mary, a portable nuclear weapon, from the Black Lily crime syndicate.

Eurospy movies unite more countries than a world war, let me tell you. This was an Italian, French and Spanish co-production with an American lead actor.

Helga Line (Horror Express, So Sweet...So Perverse) is in this, as is Maryse Guy Mitsouko (who would later be in Thunderball), Umberto Raho (The Bird with the Crystal Plumage), Andrea Scotti (The Fifth Cord) and Erika Blanc (The Night Evelyn Came Out of Her Grave).

It was directed by Sergio Grieco, who would also make the Eurospy films Agent 077: From the Orient, Password: Kill Agent Gordon, Special Mission Lady Chaplin, Argoman the Fantastic Superman and The Tiffany Memorandum.

Brainless Sixties fun!

[Oblomov-2 · 6/10 · 7 August 2002]

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'.

A Mediocre James Bond Clone

[Uriah43 · 5/10 · 30 October 2023]

This film essentially begins with a special nuclear bomb codenamed "the Bloody Mary" being stolen off of an American bomber by a mysterious criminal organization known simply as "Black Lilly." Naturally, wanting to recover this nuclear device as soon as possible, the CIA dispatches its best secret agent by the name of "Dick Malloy" (Ken Clark) to Paris to follow up on an important lead. Once there, he meets an attractive colleague by the name of "Elsa Freeman" (Helga Line) who has been sent to assist him. Likewise, another colleague by the name of "Lester" (Antonio Gradoli) is there to assist him as well. Unfortunately, every time Agent Malloy gets closer to finding out where the bomb is located, he is met with any number of thugs and ruffians who thwart his every move. Even so, Agent Malloy somehow manages to extricate himself from these deadly situations and continues to uncover vital clues along the way. What he doesn't realize, however, is that the Chinese aren't the only ones wanting to acquire this nuclear device--and time is not on his side. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was an adequate international spy film which was clearly intended as the European answer to the incredibly popular James Bond films of that time. And while this was certainly not a bad film by any means, it didn't quite seem to capture the same intensity of its more popular rival. For that matter, neither was Ken Clark able to duplicate the on-screen presence of Sean Connery. Be that as it may, I still found it to be somewhat entertaining, and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

Ken CLARK as Italian James Bond

[ZeddaZogenau · 7/10 · 13 December 2023]

Ken Clark and his first mission as Agent 077

Yes, what is the name of the James Bond imitator directed by Sergio Grieco and produced by Edmondo Amati, which was released in West German cinemas in November 1965? In the original version he goes by the name Dick Malloy, the German dub changed it to Jack Clifton, for whatever reason. Filming took place in Paris, Barcelona and Athens.

When the pretty secretary (Erika Blanc) of his boss (Philippe Hersent) asks him to go on a new mission, the smart daredevil Jack Clifton (Ken Clark) is with a big-breasted girlfriend (Franca Polesello, who could already be admired in "Il sorpasso") ) busy. But of course duty comes first! After all, it's about a new type of nuclear weapon that was stolen by the "Black Lily" criminal organization. Jack Clifton should therefore absolutely prevent this weapon from being sold to the Chinese. He gets support from the attractive Elsa Freeman (Helga Line). Together the two also have to deal with Soviet agents, who are of course also interested in the "Bloody Mary". But that won't be the only surprise...

The American actor Ken Clark (1927-2009) had previously had to be content with supporting roles. In Hollywood he was marketed as a "beef cake" supporting actor because of his impressive physique. As Agent 077, he was finally able to showcase his qualities as a heartthrob who can repeatedly show off his magnificent upper body, and as an action actor whose powerful upper arms the competitors hardly have a chance against. The concept was well received, "Bloody Mary" attracted 836,000 viewers to West German cinemas. The two successors (Vollmacht für Jack Clifton": 777,000 viewers / "Im Netz der Goldenen Spinne": 822,000 viewers) were similarly successful at the West German box office.

The life story of the female lead, Helga Line, is also very interesting. She was born Helga Lina Stern in Berlin in 1932. Luckily, she was able to flee the National Socialists to Portugal with her parents as a small child. She later became a star on the Iberian Peninsula. She even appeared in two films directed by Pedro Almodovar in the 1980s. The great actress celebrated her 90th birthday in 2022.

Worth seeing offshoot of the EuroSpy wave that was started by the success of the James Bond films! And the start of a three-part series with Ken Clark as Agent 077 Jack Clifton!

Above-Average Knock-Off of "Thunderball"

[zardoz-13 · 8/10 · 10 January 2010]

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.

A strong candidate for best Euro-spy film of the 1960's

[shakspryn · 9/10 · 28 September 2021]

This is an exceptionally good Euro-spy film. Among its assets are: a clever script; good humor; a hero who has some insouciant charm; good pacing; some big action scenes; a great ending.

I saw a US-dubbed version in a good dvd print. In several ways, the plot of this film reminds one of a Bond film of the 1960's--I won't say which one. I was impressed by some big action scenes that involved the hero battling with quite the small army of villains! There was a nice variety of scenes--on a freighter ship; on a train; in Greece, in France.

There are a few ways in which the smaller budget of a Euro-spy film shows: the cars the characters drive are all small, humble European cars, which look rather dated even for 1965.

The hero and the main woman character are both good and very watchable. The supporting players are good, too. Combine that with a fast-moving pace, and this movie is a big winner in the Euro-spy field. Hard to top this one for all-around quality.