Italian Secret Service is a complex spy comedy that starts during 1944, quickly shifts to 'present day' Rome, and then dashes off to London, where our hero, former resistance fighter Natalino Tartufato (code name: Cappelone, and played by dapper Nino Manfredi), hooks up with some old wartime pals, including British agent Harrison (Clive Revill). It's old home week all around, as the now grey-templed anti-fascists are on the trail of an organisation of neo-Nazis attached to a 30,000,000 lire reward. Cappelone is constantly attached to a radio headset, through which he receives his orders, and he's supplied with a suitcase full of secret weaponry, including an exploding suppository. This is a film that seems to have lost something in translation: it looks good and has an intriguing and amusing story that takes an unexpected turn, but is frequently confusing, either due to poor dubbing or cuts made for Anglophone markets. There's something good here, though, which will only be fully revealed in the course of time via a subtitled and correctly formatted DVD--which I will purchase at the earliest opportunity!
2 Reviews
Turnabout predicaments with sorta comic tone
Apollo15AnnoPianoCatDogSnailAnt26 May 2020
This has that and done in an friendlyish Italian style of people talking in close proximity a lot, things not occurring how they want, there is almost no slapstick just a slight bit, and sure enough the title is a funny thing in itself if this is what they totally want. There is a briefcase of gadgets used. Rec. from Eurospy Guide by Matt Blake/David Deal (From the Funny list.)
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