From the instant Scott Walker’s voice is heard as The Walker Brothers perform the title song during the opening credits it’s apparent that Deadlier Than The Male (1967) is an above par James Bond knock-off. Deadlier Than The Male was the creative brainchild of writer Jimmy Sangster who is best known for having written some of the best horror pictures for Hammer Studios. Sangster’s dark wit serves the film well as he updates the Bulldog Drummond character for the swinging sixties. In many ways Deadlier Than The Male feels, from today’s perspective, superior to the Sean Connery Bond films that served as inspiration.
The deadly duo of Irma (Elke Sommer) and Penelope (Sylva Koscina) steal every scene they are in. These lady assassins don’t just feature in some of the best sequences but also have a comical banter that gives them more depth. This combination of competency and characterization marks a divergence from the Bond pictures of the time. These two women are good at their jobs (smuggling explosive cigars, kidnapping young men, throwing poisoned executives from balconies, skydiving) and they do it with as much style as Emma Peel. Ultimately they prove to be the primary agents of doom for the real villain who is out to control a newly discovered oil field.
The biggest difference between Bond films and Deadlier Than The Male is the scope of the villain’s plot. Nigel Green’s bad guy character isn’t out for world domination or revenge, just money. The board meetings, insurance investigations, and bureaucratic red-tape ground this Bulldog Drummond (Richard Johnson) adventure in a far more relatable place. Even when things get campy or operatic (the chess match) the agency of the protagonist remains familiar.
It’s easy to argue, based upon these points, that the soon to conclude Daniel Craig era of Bond films owe more to Deadlier Than The Male than they do to the classic Connery pictures. It’s a pity that this film isn’t more widely known or available. Having seen a dozen or so would-be Bond films from this period I can safely say that Deadlier Than The Male is not just the best but the only essential film of this short lived sub-genre.
