Danger: Diabolik Movie Review

Supercool ‘60s-style tongue-in-cheek thriller with loads of psychedelia, as many toys as a James Bond flick, fast cars, mini skirts, and more. But, unlike Bond, Diabolik is on the wrong side of the law. The title character even has a underground lair equipped with computers, an enormous rotating circular bed, and the coolest see-through showers ever. Diabolik (John Phillip Law) and his superbabe cohort (Marisa Mell) plan and execute one elaborate heist after another, each time managing to make government officials and the police look dumber and dumber. While the laughing gas press conference inspires as much confidence (and as many laughs) as most real life briefings, something must be done to stop Diabolik. How about melting all the gold left in the treasury into one enormous twenty-ton bar that would be impossible for any supercriminal to steal…except? Italy's Mario Bava, best known for his atmospheric horror films, changes genres with ease and even manages to pull off an explosive climax with a final image that parodies some of his more horrific closings. AKA: Diabolik.

1968 (PG-13) 99m/C IT John Phillip Law, Marisa Mell, Michel Piccoli, Terry-Thomas, Adolfo Celi; D: Mario Bava; W: Mario Bava, Dino Maiuri, Adriano Barracio; C: Antonio Rinaldi; M: Ennio Morricone. VHS PAR