In Like Flint (1967) (1967)

The elements of the Flint formula really came together for the first time in this, the sequel to OUR MAN FLINT. James Coburn's superspy Flint inhabits a world somewhat more distant from reality than James Bond. Flint doesn't save the world for a living; it's more of a hobby, along with bullfighting, cooking, martial arts, desert survival, ballet, scientific research, and who knows what else. From the beginning to the final hairbreadth escape Flint is having fun, and so are we--Coburn seldom loses his infectious smile. The story stresses lighthearted adventure over real danger (come to think of it, I don't recall the bad guys ever actually killing anyone). But three decades later, the amazing thing about this movie is its progressive view of women and male-female relationships. The female characters are capable without losing their feminity. (And--who'd have thought it?--Flint has a few genuine words of wisdom on getting along with the opposite sex: "I don't compete with them.") My favorite moment in the movie is Jean Hale rolling her eyes after Flint lights a woman's cigarette--watch for it! Why only four stars? Let's be real here. This is a fun movie, but it's no CITIZEN KANE.

The sequel to the wonderful "Our Man Flint" is a bit less fun than the original, but still worthwhile nonetheless.

Women have been quietly taking over the world (well, the industrialized world, anyway) via thought control, and are now in a position to rule the planet. The president has been replaced by a doppleganger, and there are even traitors infiltrating ZOWIE Headquarters! Who else but Flint can save the day?

I have to admit, I couldn't always root for Flint in this one. All those bikini-clad beauties were nice, and can take over my world anytime!

The biggest disappointment here has to be during the confrontation between Flint and the leaders of the female revolution. The philosophical argument is never resolved, leaving our hero to simply tell the ladies to "give it up," which was kind of a letdown.

The crisis facing ZOWIE chief Lloyd C. Cramden is nicely played by Lee J. Cobb. There are also plenty of quintissensial Flint moments ("Well there were five girls at one time, but I've been trying to cut down."), and new Flint gadgets. We even get to see Yvonne Craig (forever famous as Batgirl) as Natasha, doing a swingin' 60's dance to "decadent" American music. Andrew Duggan makes a good President, and Jean Hale is suitably attractive as Flint's nemesis.

The best thing added to the Flint formula would have to be the theme song, updated with words. Hey, how can you NOT like a song called, "Your ZOWIE Face"?

Sadly, there was no third outing for Flint, although there was a short-lived Flint television program in 1976 with different actors. The show did not have the same appeal as the feature films, and quickly faded into obscurity. While Austin Powers is a wonderful parody, he not exactly the heir apparent to super-spy Flint. The Powers films are not subtle spy spoofs, and it was that subtlety of Bond spoofing which Flint had captured perfectly.

Few extras on the two Flint DVDs (just the trailers), and again I have to say that Fox has let down the fans of Flint by neglecting to have commentary or interviews on these discs. On the plus side, the transfer is well done, and in widescreen.

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The second and final installment in the Flint series is an outrageous comic romp that showcases the flashy style of America's mod super agent, Derek Flint. With a plot that just cannot be taken seriously, "In Like Flint" is an all out farce, that must be accepted as such, to be fully appreciated.

The story revolves around an elaborate scheme concocted by a group of women, running a health spa and cosmetics empire in the Virgin Islands, called "Fabulous Face". Their plan is to assert female superiority over the male gender by replacing the President with a double. Once this is accomplished, the substitute President will then aid them in the further execution of their master plan. Head of ZOWIE (Zonal Organization World Intelligence Espionage), Lloyd Cramden (Lee J. Cobb) is playing golf with the President (Andrew Duggan), when the switch is made. After becoming suspicious, Cramden asks Flint to look into the matter. Derek is busy at work on a "dolphin dictionary", and also has his hands full with a new collection of beautiful dolls, but still has time to help an old friend in trouble.

From there, the fun never stops, as Flint jumps from one wild wacky adventure to another. His foray into a ZOWIE warehouse, and the subsequent battle with the guards, is one of the film's highlights. As is his unlikely side trip to Russia to perform in a ballet, where he encounters the lovely go-go dancing Natasha, played by Yvonne Craig, TV's Batgirl. Rooftop escapades, and then it is on to Fabulous Face headquarters disguised as a Fidel Castro lookalike. Romping in the tropics, leading an invading armada of bikini clad women, Flint saves the world again, and winds up in Earth's orbit with two female cosmonauts. Only he could pull this off.

For pure escapist fun, it is hard to beat this. Exotic locations, some lavish sets, and beautiful women. Andrew Duggan is great in a dual role, and bumbling, grumbling Lee J. Cobb even sacrifices his moustache to appear in drag. It is a film that captures and evokes the free flowing vibe of the time (1967). Regrettably, this would be the last time James Coburn would appear as the character. Oh what could have been! The same could be said for the DVD. While the transfer is excellent, the film receives just a "plain Jane" treatment with virtually no extras. Plainly Fox just did not care. MGM's SE Bond DVD's are the benchmark, and this lazy effort pales in comparison. Fans of the Flint films should not miss the soundtrack with Jerry Goldsmith's music for both films on one CD.

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Less technicolor and more monochromatic than its predecessor, "In Like Flint" still uses broad strokes to great advantage in poking fun at the Bond films. The indomitable Derek Flint returns to save the world, this time from a bevy of beauties who simultaneously raise the ire of the world's women while replacing powerful males with surgically-altered substitutes (leading to, perhaps, the most prescient line of dialogue in any 1960s film--upon discovering that the man in the White House is not who he seems to be, a disbelieving Flint says, "An actor as president?"). That is, until a renegade ZOWIE general (Steve Inhat) decides it's his turn to take the reins of power. The delightful Lee J. Cobb is back as Flint's curmudgeonly boss, Cramden, as are the secret agent's posse of female admirers, and TV's Batgirl, Yvonne Craig, even shows up as a Russian ballerina. "In Like Flint" feels more grown up than the previous film, partly because the lighting and cinematography are more stark and partly because the humor is sometimes more rooted in satire than parody. Notions like the Red Scare being a feint to the very real dangers of corruption from within and the beauty industry actually having our worst interests in mind--and charging a premium for them--are slipped in with more obvious gags involving oversized eyebrows, cross-dressing, and the bouncing sing-a-long ball. Only the crankiest among us are likely to find the juvenile sexism of either Flint film worth comment, as it's a staple of the genre, meaning that the biggest weakness here is the same as the earlier effort: a no-frills DVD.

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This is the ultimate 60's spy movie spoof, capturing the total madcap, surreal, death-defying, and chauvinist ways of a spy in a 60's movie. Of course, having been made in 1967, what else could you expect?

James Coburn is Derek Flint, the most skilled, diverse, cultured, bon vivant spy ever. He can do anything, such as engineering, kung fu, desert hiking, and performing ballet in Russia.

The style of this widescreen epic is amazing. The special effects are very well done for the time, and are even now hard to detect. Flint is every inch a chauvinist pig, so if you want to see women kicking [rear], this is not the film for you, as Flint has three women who serve his every need and are basically helpless without him.

If you are a fan of the Austin Powers movies, then you may well be in familier territory here.

This film has a ton of tongue in cheek humor, and is a very enjoyable watch.

The DVD also features several trailers, and is very well done for a no-frills package. The transfer is gorgeous, and the compression of the video signal is top-notch. The sound is in it's original glorious mono, and we get to hear that super-catchy Flint theme over and over again in it's various incarnations.

I heartily recommend this for lovers of Bond and Powers.