Danger: Diabolik (1968) User Reviews (119)

How to enjoy this film

[clivey6 · 7/10 · 9 October 2009]

Watching the featurette that accompanies this DVD did help me to appreciate this movie more. Namely, that Diabolik (pronounced Dee-abolik in the Italian) is an anti-hero thief rather than a government sponsored spy and is all about 'sticking it to The Man' as befits the 1960s counterculture. Being Italian, it also contrasts with the American idea of a superhero. The Italians lost the last war, they had Mussolini and no faith in the government. This anti-hero is on the same page, whereas Superman is all in favour of the President. I suppose this is the superhero's answer to Burlesconi.

Point no 2: unlike Fleming's James Bond, Diabolik is based on a comic strip hero and many of the shots mirror that panel shape in the way they're framed: the shot of the couple talking, reflected in the rear view mirror of a car, for instance. For all that, the style is more dynamic than other comic-based films like Barbarella.

Otherwise, it's astonishing how many scenes anticipate similar ones in Bond films, from the opening helicopter car chase along the winding mountaintop road which predates that of The Spy Who Loved Me by nine years, along with other scenes that pop up in Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, A View to A Kill and GoldenEye.

Sadly Diabolik (played by John Philip Law, who was the angel in Barberella) is a humourless blank, a charisma-free zone who scarcely utters a witticism in the entire film. I think the only reason such lusty or promiscuous attitudes prevailed in the 1960s is because the likes of Sean Connery and Michael Caine put a positive spin on it.

This is a guy in superhero guise who has no alter ego - and therefore no social life. Batman has Bruce Wayne, Superman has Clark Kent. He is just Diabolik and when he retreats to his lair to bang his bird, fine, but he doesn't actually have any mates at all so it's hard to connect with him. It's like if Superman decided to not bother to save lives but just went on Viking-like pillages once in a while, holing up in the Fortress of Solitude every so often to shag his mistress and count the cash.

The anti-hero and his girl are so unlikeable and ruthless that you do feel excluded from their activities. They remind me of the charmless pair from Topaki, though the film has more to offer than that and is superior to many Bond knock-offs of the day.

Brother film to Barbarella

[iago-6 · 5/10 · 17 March 2006]

Austin Powers simply couldn't have existed without this film, an Italian production (produced by the estimable Dino De Laurentiis, who also brought us Barbarella, Amityville II: The Possession, Orca, the 1976 King Kong, and numerous other cheesy gems). With it's swingin' 60s sets, outfits and attitude, this movie (and Barbarella) is essential viewing for those curious about the origins of Austin Powers. In fact, this movie can be seen as a sort of companion piece to Barbarella, as it shares a very similar tone and look, as well as one of the stars, John Phillip Law. Yes, ladies and gentleman, it's Pygar, here without his wings and in tight black leather.

Unlike Barbarella, which comes off as far more cheesy than its makers intended, this one has its tongue firmly in cheek from the start, and never seems to lose control. Diabolik steals whatever the biggest loot around is, seemingly for the thrill of it, and the way it seems to enhance sex with his fabulous girlfriend Eva. They enjoy having sex on a spinning round bed with 10 million dollars in cash splayed all over it. I suppose I would, too, if anyone were ever to ask. They never do. Anyway, they perpetrate a number of crimes, making Scotland Yard look like fools in the process, and that's pretty much the movie.

The sets and costumes are--there's no other word--fabulous. And what really makes this movie fun is how freely the director will just stop everything to show how cool a set is, how outrageous an outfit is, whatever. He really shows how fun it would be to be Diabolik, and Diabolik himself seems to really enjoy what he does, which makes the film enjoyable for everyone.

The DVD for this film includes a Beastie Boys video that cleverly interweaves shots from the film with the boys playing Diabolik and various others, which is all based on a sequence from the film. There's also a documentary, which I didn't watch. Amazingly, the trailer gives away the very end of the movie! It's inexplicable.

Not much more to say about it. The plot is so simple you can very clearly follow it even with the movie on silent fast-forward, but the point is not so much the story as the look, clothes, and attitude. And it's got all of those in spades.

--- Check out my website on bad and cheesy movies, Cinema de Merde. Find the URL in my email address above.

Danger: Psychedelic!

[KingM21 · 6/10 · 2 September 2005]

This movie has instantly become one of my very favorite Mario Bava features. Think James Bond, as a suave master thief, filmed in a psychedelic, occasionally campy, comic book style. (Diabolik was a comic first.) Add to that some fun humor and very fitting themes by the legendary Ennio Morricone, and you have one cool, little cult flick! The cheap DVD comes with some great extras, like a pleasant and informative commentary by star John Phillip Law and Bava expert Time Lucas. The short featurette was very good too, going over just how well Bava captured the comic book stylings in the film. Recommended purchase! By the way, Diabolik's mask and laugh---perfect.

What's wrong with you people?

[Eviljomr · 7 October 1999]

What's the matter with you people? Doesn't anyone enjoy a good, fun, cheesy Italian spy flick anymore? These are the same people who don't like Godzilla films because they can't get over the low-budget special effect and the "silliness", and who can't tolerate anything different than mega-budget hollywood blockbusters, and that just breaks my heart. I kind of enjoyed seeing it on MST3K, but I was dissappointed that they included it in the same league as the truly awful (but no les enjoyable) Hobgoblins and Space Mutiny. This is one of the great 60s films as far as i'm concerned. What really sets the films apart is stylish cinematography and direction by the great, sadly underappreciated Mario Bava, also responsible for great films like Black Sabbath, Planet of the Vampires, Bay of Blood, Lisa and the Devil, and the gritty, cynical Rabid Dogs, which was a real surprise after Diabolik. (Even if you hated Diabolik, you owe it to yourself to track down a copy of Rabid Dogs). Also noteworthy is the psychedelica-tinged score by the great Ennio Morricone, my favorite film composer.

"WELL, I'm sorry that YOU'RE offended by MY random murders....!"

[lemon_magic · 7/10 · 15 October 2005]

I think there may be some misunderstandings going on here, re: the MST3K coverage of "Diabolik". Any fan of the MST series who followed the creators' commentary and blogs on the Sci-Fi channel website and via their newsletters, etc, knows that the Best Brains crew really ENJOYED "Diabolik" and saved it for their last episode as sort of a going away present for themselves. And anyone who paid attention to the way Mike and the 'Bots riffed through the movie would know that most of their comments were pretty good-natured, and mostly about the sheer silliness of the proceedings.

Certainly, "Diabolik" is head and shoulders over typical MST3K fare. Only "Marooned/"Space Travelers","Squirm", "Hercules", and the Russian Finnish trilogy come close to it in terms of actors, budget, energy, set design and general competence and ingenuity. Oh, and the black-and-white German TV staging of "Hamlet". (Even "starchy, pork-filled German Hamlet" is still "Hamlet", and it does have Maximillian Schell).

While the movie is (purposefully) lighter than cotton candy, and not meant to be taken at all seriously, it does do a great job of adapting the essence of the Italian comics anti-hero to the big screen. At a couple points, the Bava even has pencil graphics from the series integrated in stop motion into a couple scenes as a tribute to the feel and atmosphere of the "Diabolik" comics. They got the costume right, they got the hot blonde babe right, and they even had the audacity to try to pull off some of the gimmicks and plot devices typical of the series (much easier to do for an artist with a pencil and a drawing board than a stage and special effects crew!) And the whole thing is kept cooking and perking along with an incredibly insistent soundtrack that is built around catchy motifs that sink their hooks into the brain.

People don't really "act" in a film like this. Instead they invest energy inhabiting the cardboard characters who populate the film and trying to bring them to life. But Law and his hot blonde paramour do a splendid job of being magnetic and compelling (in a very clichéd, two-dimensional way, of course) and are fun to watch and they run around pulling heists, duping the law, making love atop piles of money, casually murdering everyone who gets in their way, etc. Even the supporting characters (the Inspector and the chief mob guy, recognizable as "Blofeld" from the early 007 movies) are fine and perform their thankless roles as Diabolik's dupes admirably.

It's not like anyone who ever heard of "Diabolik" didn't know what to expect. And it's not like anyone who spent more than 30 seconds watching it with an open mind wouldn't find plenty to enjoy as a harmless piece of escapist fluff. So I can't quite see the harsh reception and bad comments on the movie.

I rate it 7 out of 10, since I refuse to penalize it for dated pop culture references or the questionable morality of the source material. If I even find the 'straight' version on DVD somewhere for under $7, I might pick it up for my collection, especially if there are some background extras.

DANGER: DIABOLIK (Mario Bava, 1968) ***

[Bunuel1976 · 7/10 · 14 June 2006]

I had been underwhelmed by this on first viewing, which I found rather campy, and was equally unimpressed by Ennio Morricone's 'corny' score! However, this time around it all just clicked somehow: it's undoubtedly one of the most sheerly enjoyable "Euro-Cult" offerings (unlike most other examples in the field, it zips along at breakneck speed) and the eclectic but disarming soundtrack has now become one of my favorites from this legendary composer!

The film is widely recognized as the best to be adapted from a comic-strip up to that time; Bava dabbled in most genres and, apart from Epics and Westerns, his own work in each of them was peerless! As expected, he gave the film a super-stylish look - a masterpiece of production design and special effects (including extensive matte work) - and, even if he had a big Hollywood studio behind him (Paramount) and a proposed $3 million budget at his disposal, he brought the production in at the ridiculously low cost of $400,000!! Still, interference from the bigwigs made his experience on it an unhappy one - and this put paid to the idea for further exploits of the titular character (for which producer Dino DeLaurentiis was all ready to oblige)!

The project was actually first gotten off the ground by other hands, with Jean Sorel as the masked criminal; besides, when Bava took over, Catherine Deneuve had initially been slated for the female lead! However, John Phillip Law and the delectable Marisa Mell were both perfectly cast - despite the fact that characterization in their respect was reduced to the bare essentials, so much so that they probably don't have ten sentences between them throughout the entire film! The rest of the cast is equally interesting: Michel Piccoli (as Diabolik's arch-nemesis Inspector Ginko), Adolfo Celi (as a racketeer) and Terry-Thomas (as the Finance Minister!).

The film was highly influential, as witness The Beastie Boys' video for "Body Movin'" and Roman Coppola's homage to the European style of film-making circa 1970, CQ (2001) - which, incidentally, I watched immediately after I got done with the DANGER: DIABOLIK DVD! Finally, despite its tongue-in-cheek approach, it was still considered potentially harmful in the post-9/11 mindset because Diabolik is shown to wage his reign of terror without much consequence - and Paramount had initially scrapped its plans for a DVD release of the film, before saner minds prevailed!

Bad movie?!? Yeah right...More like terrific movie!

[Coventry · 9/10 · 9 June 2004]

Unbelievable! The majority of comment-authors here on this site haven't got the slightest clue how far the brilliance of this film reaches...Here you have one of the coolest, most ingenious productions ever, and they're calling it "awful" and an ideal climax for the Mystery Science Theater?!? Aren't there any people left who appreciate sweet pop art? Or a healthy dose of delightful kitsch? Danger: Diabolik is a cult masterpiece and part of the greatest achievements of the brilliant director Mario Bava (or God, like I tend to call him). Bava easily is one of the most diverse directors who ever lived and delivered horror classics, solid thrillers, old-fashioned westerns and ... Danger Diabolik! A film that can't possibly be categorized entirely. Pivot figures are a young, vital couple of criminal masterminds. They steal from innocent people as well as from dangerous maffiosi, while killing innocent bystanders. Our funky couple single-handedly takes away billions that belong to the government, and then cheerfully retire in their underground lair in order to make love on top of a pile of money! It comes this far that the police cooperates with the entire gangster-network in order to finally arrest them...but our hero always is multiple steps ahead of them. Danger Diabolik introduces more kinky gadgets than 20 James Bond films ever could and the amount of creativity in just endless. The used scenery and experimental cinemathograpy mark this film with an undeniable cult-status that even impressed Mike Myers! Just compare this film with the Austin Powers trilogy!! Add to this a dazzling soundtrack and a ravishing siren (Marisa Mell) and you've got yourself an intolerably misunderstood cinema milestone. If you're a tiny bit open-minded and/or a bit less prejudiced on non-American films, you just HAVE TO see Danger: Diabolik.

Slick pop art explosion...

[JasparLamarCrabb · 7/10 · 17 January 2013]

Impossible to dislike, this slick pop art explosion directed by Mario Bava stars John Phillip Law as a black clad, high tech thief driving inspector Michel Piccoli crazy with his shenanigans. Aided by sexy girlfriend Marisa Mell, Law steals anything he can get his hands on, including a twenty ton pound gold brick! An imaginative and very fun movie with certain limits (like an extensive use of miniatures) that are easily overlooked. Bava keeps things moving at a fast clip and Law is perfect as the icy hero. Piccoli is appropriately befuddled, though his dubbing is not so great. The colorful supporting cast includes Adolfo Celi and Terry-Thomas (hilarious holding two idiotic press conferences). Highlight: Law browbeating information out of Celi while free-falling from an airplane. The kooky score is by none other than Ennio Morricone and it's photographed by Bava's go-to cinematographer Antonio Rinaldi.

Stylish adaptation of a popular Euro Comic

[possum-3 · 8/10 · 18 January 2000]

Another great visual piece by the great Bava, this film is a faithful adaptation of the popular European comic about the anti-hero master criminal Diabolik. Almost overdosing on intense 60s color and style, the film moves through comic-style adventures with considerable European flair and well captures the atmosphere of the original material and the time.

(Yes, I understand that this made the last installment of Mystery Science Theater 3000, and I'm a MiSTie myself. But Diabolik is a good film, whether it has riffing potential or not.

Say you never heard a thing about Batman (as so many seem to never have heard a thing about Diabolik)--if you saw the 1988 Batman film, you'd think it was pretty stupid and over the top, wouldn't you? Unrealistic? Stupid, even? Maybe even think that the main character wasn't much of a hero, so dark, so sinister? And if you think that a lot of 'stylish' 90's films with their music-video montages aren't going to look dated in twenty years, you're kidding yourself. I'd advise supposed 'reviewers' to stop being such contemporist snobs.)

deliriously campy fun

[Quinoa1984 · 6/10 · 9 November 2006]

I probably wouldn't watch Danger Diabolik again unless I was really loaded, or maybe just in the "right" mood. I did like it, though not exactly in the way I expected, at all. It's funny really because of what director Mario Bava does to make this very third-rate (if that) James Bond knock-off worthwhile. But it's not worthwhile in the sense that it's really high-quality, unless you're talking about Diabolik's secret cave/lair. No, it's more worthwhile as a surefire example of a director who knows what he has to work with and decides to just make it as awesomely bad as it can be, through the period mostly. And this period brings out what must've been for Bava his 'interpretation' on the late 60s psychedelia movement. Sure, the film is based upon an Italian comic strip, but really, would you know it by looking at the film in and of itself?

Featuring performances that sometimes just speak for themselves, including John Phillip Law as the title character, who has eyebrows that almost rival his own fancy tricks, and Michel Piccoli (yes, the Michel Piccoli) as another evil-doer, or possible authority figure, or other. Really, part of the gleeful dumb fun in watching Danger Diabolik is that, well, there's not plot really to describe, least of which I could discern. Basically Diabolik and his woman Eva (Maria Mell) go around getting out very elaborately and nefariously through the 'traps' set by the evil-doers who try and ensnare Diabolik through his own greed and want. So it's all really a bunch of set-ups that end up not working out for those who try and set it up, as Diabolik fools them every step of the way, all the while having lots of sex in his bed piled with money, as nasty characters try and plot some more. For what end all of this comes to I can't tell you, which is in part why I can't ever take a work like this seriously.

Bava here is 100 times more interested in getting the wacky world of espionage, spoofed in its own way, than he is in telling any half-way near coherent kind of thriller story. It's all a big excuse for Bava to bring on elaborate, very goofy camera moves (zoom-in, zoom-out, zoom-in again, for now reason), which also include a manic moment of psychedelia through a kaleidescope, lots of quick pans and other fancy moves, and everything almost to mock these characters. Maybe that's part of the point, that as this very wild tome of the Roadrunner and the Coyote spins out (only this time the Roadrunner really being a dastardly character Diabolik who is neither villain or hero, just is as his very unclear-in-motivation bandit), one can only watch with the laughter coming out possibly unintentional- or not. Who knows; Bava was an extremely experienced genre filmmaker, so this must have come as something of a delightful challenge. And there's a very wise, strange case of a musical composer here- Ennio Morricone- sometimes sounding and sometimes not at all sounding like his usual work; you almost want to get up and do some kind of silly 60s boogie to this stuff.

So do seek out the film if you want a good cheesy time of a movie to see, almost like watching What's Up Tiger Lily only with half the wit though much more in terms of delivering visual veracity. And I'm sure if you can seek it out, it's probably quite fitting as the finale to the Mystery Science Theater 3000 television show. What a way to come back down to earth, as Diabolik gives one final wink...or is it? It's a stupid, B-movie romp with lots of explosions and gun-fire and senseless killings- in short, lots of worse ways you could spend a Friday night.

Cinema's least likeable character.

[Mystic_Squirrel · 1/10 · 22 August 2003]

What a lousy movie. I knew the second the "artsy" credits started that I was in for a real stinker, but I never imagined how much I would hate this movie. I don't konw what they were trying for, but Diabolik is easily the least likeable protagonist I've ever seen in a movie. He blows Mae West's "Sextette" character (though Sextette was easily a more painful movie) out of the water in sheer annoyingness and unlikeability. I spent the entire movie wondering why we were supposed to cheer for/like Diabolik? He has no redeeming qualities at all, nor is he inherently likeable enough to be a good anti-hero. In fact he really didn't have any characteristics besides greedy, annoying, cocky, and a lover of unitards. The ending where he blinks at the stupid annoying woman out from under his shell of gold p**sed me off to. At least if you think about it logically he'll suffer a fate worse then death, left to slowly starve to death in his shell. Hmmm... actually I think the end of the movie just became a lot more likeable...

Maybe I'm being a tad harsh, I really shouldn't ahve expected anything good from a French-Italian co-production from the 60's. Actually I can't think of any good Italian movies from the 60's that weren't directed by Sergio Leonne.

I gave this movie a resounding 1, but it will always hold a place in my heart as the last MST3K episode.

Classy, stylish, slightly confused

[Thorsten-Krings · 7/10 · 8 May 2007]

With Mario Bava, it doesn't really matter if the story is good or not- he creates visual experiences out of a telephone book if necessary. Here, Bava delivers a film based on the archetype of the fumetto nero- immoral and/ or amoral gangster-hero Diabolik. Here Diabolik is even more of an anarchist than a simple gangster. For the time it was quite unusual to tell the story from the villain's point of view and moreover to let the villain win. Stylistically this film is iconic: scenes or motives lifted from Diabolik pop up all over the place. It's stylish: great sets, cool dudes, good soundtrack and bright colours. What I like about this film is that it's one of the few comic book adaptations that work visually. As opposed to many other directors Bava makes full use of cinematic possibilities instead of copying the 2 dimensional panel look of a comic book. Of course the dramaturgy is rather weird, as the film works more like two episodes of a series then one story or one film.

So nonsensical, it entertains

[daisukereds · 5/10 · 10 May 2021]

A very representing movie of the 60s and the comic it is based on! Would I go as far as to call this the "Fast and Furious" of its time? Probably not.

It's quite sad that such a stylish movie is now considered quaint..

Anyway, I was reminded of Lupin and James Bond. Except it's just very simplistic, while still being over the top at the same time.

If I had to summarize it, I would put it in an attractive sentence : "The greediest man on the planet attempts to screw-over a whole country".

If this was the first movie I had ever watched, I would have probably been impressed! Sadly, I just laughed for a bit, held my head a few times, and I will now proceed to forget I saw it.

An often derided movie that deserves to be seen.

[bennozoid1 · 10 February 2002]

I first saw 'Danger:Diabolik' on British television when I was 5 years old, peeking from behind the sofa when I was supposed to be in bed fast asleep. The next morning I thought the whole experience had been a vivid and bizarre dream. The film has fascinated me ever since.

Mario Bava's film is a hallucinatory, artistic, but undercooked and under-budgeted concoction which never quite coheres into the film we want it to be. 'Danger: Diabolik' nonetheless conjures up some masterful cult moments that richly reward the intrepid viewer who is willing to brave (and embrace) some ropey filler scenes and awful dubbing.

The magic of this film is sometimes missed by the casual viewer, and many of those who I have lent my copy to have simply stopped watching half way through, as the plot gets bogged down in the muddled, leaden Valmont scenes.

The magic of this film for me lies in this childhood connection that I have. Diabolik is indeed (as many viewers have pointed out) amoral and selfish. He kills people and lives only for his hedonistic indulgence. But this isn't really the point. Diabolik's greed is a metaphor of all our material greed and fantasies of self-indulgence [for more on this, see the definitive article on 'Danger:Diabolik' on the 'dvd savant' website] Diabolik, in all his piecing glances, hystrionic leaping, minimal dialogue, fetishistic costumes, and designer love parlours is very much like an irrational, inexplicable dream that we read our own meanings and desires into. Diabolik is a hypnotic, mysterious figure beyond judgement and law; he's not a real person in any way, and is not supposed to be one. His love for Eva is an erotic, wet dream and has nothing to do with anything except sensual pleasure and wish-fulfillment, and these scenes linger on as if the editor had forgotten to cut the film.

Bava denies us (or is perhaps incapable of constructing) a conventional, well-paced narrative, or a palatable, structured story. Instead he gives us a psychadelic reverie. A string of moments to enjoy and remember. Oh, and some really crap bits too, there's no denying!

DON'T WATCH THIS FILM IF YOU HAVE A SHORT, MTV ATTENTION SPAN OR NO APPRECIATION OF EURO-TRASH / PSYCHOTRONIC CINEMA.

I agree that 'Danger:Diabolik' isn't everything it could be, but it almost succeeds in achieving pop-art genius on several occasions. Definitely worth checking out. Just put your normal movie expectations aside for this one and you might love it!

If you are a big fan of 'Danger:Diabolik', or just feel like debating it, please feel free to email me!....

The Whole Is Not Quite The Sum Of Its Parts...

[hokeybutt · 7/10 · 14 July 2005]

DANGER: DIABOLIK (3+ outta 5 stars) Definitely a case of a movie where the sum of its parts is greater than the whole. The movie has great sets, great costumes, great music, great direction, great everything... yet it didn't quite mesh together into a great movie. Oh, I enjoyed the movie a lot... I look forward to seeing it again... maybe over time I will learn to like it even more... it just doesn't rank up there with my most favorite cult classics. John Philip Law portrays the criminal mastermind Diabolik... dressed from head to toe in a black bodysuit, mostly with just his eyes visible. He continually confounds police and criminals alike as he goes around stealing whatever he darn well pleases. He is aided by his sidekick/lover Eva (Marisa Mell). I am not usually attracted to this sort of blonde ice princess (popular in the '60s) but I have to say that Marisa Mell belongs at the top of the list. More than just a pretty face... she also exudes strength, passion, humour and intelligence. There are some great sequences in this movie... fast cars, death defying leaps, exciting chases. I guess the only problem I have with the movie is that the finale doesn't live up to the excitement of the preceding hour. Diabolik's final "escape" is merely a rehash of one used earlier (and also given away if you happen to view the trailer before seeing the movie)... and the final "heist" isn't as much fun as previous capers. Still, the movie is very much worth seeing... definitely one of the very best comic book adaptations.

Delightful and colorful Euro-spy movie with two charming starring , John Phillip Law and Marisa Mell

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 8 March 2022]

Nice and enjoyable moviel dealing with popular hero from famous comic books starred by two good-looking stars , the tall John Phillip Law and beauty Marisa Mell . In a nameless European nation , Inspector Ginco (Michel Piccoli) takes every precaution to ensure that a $1,000,000 shipment of money reaches a local bank . Despite having decoy armored trucks , the real one containing the money is sidetracked to a marina where a superthief Diabolik , (John Phillip Law) , the world's deadliest and most dazzlingly robber , evades the law while performing his criminal antics , as the eludes the police by disguising , changing cars , hot pursuits , and masking himself . At the beginning he robs a whole truck by lifting up by an electric magnet and dropping it into the water , where he dives in and takes the loot . Along the way , Diabolik uses his extraordinary powers to foil mobsters (Adolfo Celi) and steal billions from the government . As the anti-hero of the film , Diabolik must face off botcher law enforcements and seeking vengeance against mafiosi . In a long pursuit , he's helped by his pal and lover Eva Kant (Marisa Mell) who drives Diabolik back to his hideout and their living quarters are a mod of very expensive designs bought with their ill gotten loot .He robs from the rich to give to the girls !. Meet Diabolik. Slick. Suave. Gentle. Brutal. Wild. Out for all he can take, seduce, or get away with...

Agreeable and brilliant rendition , not taking any situation seriously ; being based on famous strip-cartoon thriller title "Diabolik", one of the longest running - and most successful - Italian comic strips , known as "fumetti" by Angela Giussani and Luciana Giussani . This very campy picture contains thrills , action , phantasmagoria , psychedelia , pop art , tongue-in-cheek , absurd situations , and being competently developed . Fantastic production design and art design influenced by the original comic books and James Bond movies , showing splendidly the breathtaking settings at a remote cave in a mountain side which has miles of underground passageways and bizarre corridors . The main and support cast -with everyone having fun- are frankly good . John Phillip Law is fine in the title character , the masked career thief known only as Diabolik , who eludes his official pursuers with his mistress and partner-in-crime . Bombshell Marisa Mell as gorgeous colleague is ideal actress to her role , she shines and expands her beauty and extreme sexuality . The best of the interpretations results to be Adolfo Celi as a cunning villain who cruelly murders his victims , including some thrilling moments when dropping from plane . Furthermore , ordinary Italian actors from the Sixties and Seventies such as : Claudio Gora , Andrea Bosic , Rick Boyd , Caterina Boratto , Carlo Croccolo , Renzo Palmer . And special appearance of notorious French actor Michael Piccoli and the British Terry Thomas though is really wasted.

Lively and catching original music score in Seventies style by Ennio Morricone , including a catching leitmotif . Gliimmer as well as glamorous cinematography by cameraman Antonio Rinaldi and Maria Bava himself , as usual. The motion picture was decently directed by Mario Bava , he's father of director Lamberto Bava who in Diabolik works as a director assistant and he subsequently directed some movies under pseudonym John Old Jr . Director Bava was originally compelled to release movies under pseudonym John Old . The picture titled Diabolik (Italy) Danger: Diabolik! (France) Goldstrike! (World-wide, English title) or Danger: Diabolik (New Zealand, English title) was well directed by Mario Bava in his usual style . Bava uses his ordinary visual tricks, sustaining interest enough, with a twisted and well-designed script , while the two attractive protagonists steal the show. Bava was an expert on terror movies such as : I vampiri, Black Sunday, The Whip and the Body, The girl who knew too much, Black Sabbath, Planet of Vampires, Kill baby kill, Hatchet for the honeymoon, 5 dolls for an August Moon, Torture of chamber of baron blood, Lisa and the Devil, Shock. Though Bava also made other genre as Peplum : Hercules in the haunted world, sex comedy : Four times that night, Viking movie : Knives of the avenger and Oriental fantasy : The wonders of Aladdin. The picture will appeal to thriller genre buffs. Rating 6.5/10.

Under-rated, over-the-top, and down-right swanky!

[rch427 · 9/10 · 9 January 2000]

I've rented "Danger: Diabolik" three times now, and each time I discover more to enjoy. I recommend setting aside any prejudice that may accompany Mario Bava's name (or John Phillip Law's, for that matter), and viewing it with the same frame of mind as you would for viewing a Connery-era Bond film or either of the "Flints": as stylish period pieces; heavy on action, light on plot logic, and all done with tongue-in-cheek.

Sure, Law's acting skills are slight, but so are Connery's. And Diabolik manages a most unusual thing for a super-dude: he is happily faithful to his mate (played by the ravishing Marisa Mell) for the entire film.

The sets are (with one exception) terrific - at least as good as Bond's or Flint's. The costuming, cinematography and action scenes are top-notch. Ennio Morricone's score is just about the best I've heard in it's genre. There are enough plot twists and clever bits to keep anyone interested.

Give it a try; I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Danger! Diabolical Thief at Large!

[Bogmeister · 6/10 · 10 May 2008]

MASTER PLAN: steal everything. Based on the Italian fumetti/comic strip, this was director Bava's follow-up to "Dr.Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs" and, at first glance, would seem merely a slight upgrade from that earlier unfortunate campy fiasco. But, with the availability of a decent DVD version, the picture's strengths become more readily apparent. Bava's ability with design and color enables a fairly successful transposition from comic books to movie screens. Many might point to "Dick Tracy"(90) as another such heartfelt attempt to capture comic strip ambiance on the screen, but that one was far more blatant & apparent. Bava's creativity due to a lack of a huge budget resulted in a more subtle interpretation of comic book action, as incongruous as that sounds when talking about an adaptation of a comic strip. Some of the images here, whether large buildings or close-ups, are startling - something seems a little off in the image but you're not sure what it is. When you think about it or view it again, you realize it's a comic book come to life. Bava was also fond of filming a frame within the frame, resulting in some intriguing compositions. This also invites comparisons to "Barbarella," released a little later. But, Barbarella's images are awfully static when compared to all the movement we see here - everything and everyone moves here - whether on foot, in a sports car or on motorcycles.

Since this was the sixties, one also can't help but think of the James Bond craze of this period. The obvious difference between this and the Bond imitators is that the central character is a villain, not some agent-hero. Diabolik (Law) specializes in outrageous acts of thievery; at the point the film begins, the establishment (government & police) are well aware of him, to the point that they resort to unusual methods of transporting valuables in an attempt to avoid him; of course, they fail. Diabolik wears a weird comic book-styled suit, with a mask that covers the lower half of his face; yet, you can still see the outline of his mouth. He also has a weird, sinister laugh, though this is not over-indulged. He operates from a fantastic underground hideout, an expansion of the Batcave from the "Batman" TV show. Of course, he does not work with the authorities but against them, a rather subversive message in those pre-Watergate times, where-in the audience is placed in the position of rooting for this, at best, anti-hero; but, remember, this is from Italy (see Sergio Leone's 'Man-With-no-Name' western trilogy). Also, rather than hanging out with a younger version of himself, as Batman did, this guy gets it on with a cool chick; ah, yes, the villains do have all the fun. Keep in mind, though, his violence does extend to killing cops, so it's not just a laughing matter.

There's no 'main' plot line; the authorities make a deal with a local bigshot gangster (Celi, the villain from "Thunderball") to capture or eliminate Diabolik, but this plot is wrapped up way before the conclusion. The story switches to an attack by Diabolik on all the economic bastions of power, a rather direct act of terrorism (though there are no realistic repercussions, such as showing fatalities) and then there's some climactic action involving all the gold on a moving train. It's as if the filmmakers took several disparate plots from the comic strip and welded them together in one film; but, it holds together pretty well, against expectations. The ending is a little on the eerie side. Since this is, overall, an amusing and even silly take on the super-hero/super-villain genre, it may be why "Mystery Science Theater 3000" chose it as one of the films they made fun of, an honor they saved for the most silly movies out there. But, this has enough esoteric style and panache to place it above those clunkers and MSTK3 should have saved their efforts for some other truly dumb film. Anti-Hero:6 Villain:6 Femme Fatales:6 Henchmen:5 Fights:5 Stunts/Chases:7 Gadgets:6 Auto:7 Locations:6 Pace:6 overall:6

Best of its Type

[Space_Mafune · 8/10 · 5 March 2003]

This tale about a super criminal mastermind is perhaps the most exciting stylized inventive "true to its source" comic book adaptation ever filmed. Without a doubt, one of the finest performances, if not the finest, by John Philip Law in the lead role. But this film is mainly a feast for the eyes...a common quality trait true of most Mario Bava films.

This is one film that never feels slow to the viewer...it's always fast-paced and is never dull.

The only problem I have with the film is it makes a hero out of a character who sometimes goes too far but again it was simply being true to its source..excellent film! Much too good it should be vandalized by Mystery Science Theater 3000 (which it most unfortunately was).

James Bondish movie from the famous Italian director

[ebiros2 · 6/10 · 23 April 2011]

Not that this movie was about a spy but actually about a thief, the format is very much like the James Bond movies that had gained popularity in the '60s when this movie was made.

Diabolique (John Phillip Law) is a high profile thief who mock at the government's ineptness to catch him. He has a partner Eva (Marisa Mell) who helps him with his capers. He has a lavish lifestyle, but also few enemies which is trying to kill him. All of them are closing in on him, but it's Diabolique's ingenuity that will get him his way.

The movie is very well crafted. The cinematography of Mario Bava will match any James Bond movies, but the location isn't as outrageous as the Bond movies, and has a more domestic European feel to it. The lavish style, and the mood is almost identical between this movie and the 007 series, but focus is bit weaker in this movie because the Diabolique character doesn't have as much purpose to what he does compared to 007. Similarity might not be coincidental if you consider that Albert Broccoli the producer of the James Bond series, Mario Bava, and Deno Delonetiis are all Italians. The beautiful brilliance that're common to Italian movies are abundantly obvious in this one as well. I liked this movie out of all of Mario Bava's movies because it's not as macabre as his other horror movies.

Everything is quite beautiful in this movie which makes it worth watching including the two stars John Phillip Law, and Marisa Mell. If you've never seen Marisa Mell, it's worth watching the movie just to see her.

A very bad movie

[homer_simpson91 · 3/10 · 4 December 2001]

An obvious James Bond rip-off, and an extremely bad one at that. There are very few moments of actual fun in this. The "hero" is the movie, Diabolik, is supposed to be a villain that you are rooting for, but instead you'll probably despise him just like I did, and root for the incompetent cop who never seems to be able to catch him. Diabolik is a thief who kills lots of people, including a lot of innocent bystanders most of the time, and we are expected to like him and his greedy girlfriend. The acting and dialogue in this movie are especially terrible. The brief cameos by Terry-Thomas are the best parts of the movie. His appearances was like breaths of fresh air, and I probably gave a point to this movie for him alone. As for this movie...just watch one of the 007 movies again. DIABOLIK is the same thing anyway, only infinitely worse.

3/10

Danger:Diabolik

[kashimanotachi · 10/10 · 16 August 2006]

Considered to be the finest adaption of a comic book to date, Danger:Diabolik is to my my knowledge Bava's biggest budgeted film and looks it. The cast headed by John Philip Law as the suave super thief Diabolik and Marisa Mell as his beautiful girlfriend/accomplice Eva Kent do a superb job. There's also some strong supporting performances by Michel Piccoli as Diabolik's nemesis Inspector Ginko and Adolfo Celi as the degenerate crime lord Ralph Valmont here as well. On the technical side of things, Bava does his usual masterful job of directing. Pace is kept lively and never falters. The musical score was written by Ennio Morricone and is one of the best. I highly recommend this film.

Is that stud coming?

[ericstevenson · 6/10 · 24 July 2016]

Did they really save the best for last in "Mystery Science Theater 3000"? Was this movie the least awful that was ever featured in the series? Well, it certainly got close. It was pretty weird to see such a well mediocre movie featured on the show and I am still happy to see this either way. This movie features a secret agent or vigilante named Diabolik fighting a villain named Valmont. Valmont is a pretty nice villain. While the story doesn't make much sense, you have to admit that it does have pretty impressive action scenes and it fits the style of the James Bond movies at the times. Unlike so many bad imitators, this does manage to have a distinctive style of its own.

The sets are probably what make the film. They even have a pretty interesting plot about stealing gold and some interesting scenes where gold is frozen. I actually do like the ending. It gives off a really nice mysterious vibe and doesn't take the easy way out. Still, it does come off as too silly sometimes. It's a great way to end the series and probably the closest I'd come to recommending a film on its own that was featured on "Mystery Science Theater 3000". **1/2

You have got to be kidding me.

[GuyCC · 3/10 · 10 August 1999]

It's only fitting that this movie ended up as the last movie of Mystery Science Theater 3000's run. This movie was absolutely ridiculous!

From the nausea-inducing opening scenes of constantly spinning credits, to the "woo woo" music of the film, this was truly more of a laughable amusement than an actual movie. I'm sorry, but I just don't get the people who say that the score in this movie is amazing. It's monotonous and trying on the patience, and was just plain awful. The main villain was a weak character cut out of the same mold as countless other villains, and as an anti-hero, Diabolik did little to impress me. Diabolik's lair was elaborate if a bit excessive, and Diabolik's girl was attractive window-dressing for this film. That's about the only positive thing I can say about the movie. I have to agree with Mike and the 'bots on the ending scene: I don't think Diabolik was in a position to be laughing. He really didn't come out that far ahead.

Keep your "fanciful and wonderful" spy movies if this is what it means. I'd rather watch James Bond movies any day. Even the bad ones were better than this. If this was made for the purpose of being cheesy, then it served its purpose well. Worth a watch if only to laugh at it.