James Coburn stars as super-spy Derek Flint in this action comedy which takes the tongue-in-cheek wit of the James Bond series and shifts it into high gear. Flint is an ultra-sophisticated operative of international intelligence agency Z.O.W.I.E. He's a master of martial arts, electronic gadgetry (his cigarette lighter can perform 83 special functions), languages both human and animal (he can communicate with dolphins in a pinch), and even gives ballet lessons to the dancers of the Bolshoi. So
when his fellow agents begin dropping like flies, Z.O.W.I.E. assigns Flint the task of finding out who the killers happen to be. Eventually, Flint discovers that the killings are all part of the wicked machinations of G.A.L.A.X.Y., a cadre of world-wide villainy that plans to take over the world through weather control. Our Man Flint also stars Lee J. Cobb, Gila Golan, and Edward Mulhare. A sequel, In Like Flint, followed two years later, and in 1976, the character was revived for a TV movie, Our Man Flint: Dead on Target, with Ray Danton taking over the role of Derek Flint. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
The plot is the usual hokum and Edward Mulhare isn't really eccentric enough to compete in the villainy stakes, but Coburn is plainly enjoying himself so much, and the trimmings are so stylish, that it's impossible not to enjoy.
Coasts along on two things: Coburn's incredible charm, and the dazzlement of a film that plays like it was built from the ground up to capture everything aesthetically and socially that defined 1965.
The best of the spy-spoof bunch ... a hyper-kitschy and entertaining time capsule starring James Coburn as a Bond surrogate played so straight you could shave with him.
Many people point to this as one of the best spy movies of the 60s along with 007, but I wasn't that impressed with it. The style is more interesting than a Bond movie, but I didn't care for Coburn's character, he seemed too flawless. Overall it's okay, though, especially if you love spy movies.
A classic of the spy-genre, in its all-out parody glory. Age has only added a new sheen of humor, as we guffaw at the retro aura (the kung-fu grips, the 1960's womanizing, go-go dancing, and ridiculous faux-buddhist upper-class chicness.Our Man Flint is an essential entry in the genre of parody, and actually manages to
stand on its own without knowledge of what it is trying to parody in a way that the more recent (and less sophisticated) Austin Powers has managed to do. Yet where Austin Powers is slapstick hilarity, Our Man Flint is buffoonishly mock-serious.... a parody style that fits the spy-film genre far more comfortably and more satisfyingly... and has aged remarkably well for a highly topical parody.
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