Other Titles • Danger: Diabolik (1968) • Gefahr: Diabolik! (1968)
Synopses for Diabolik (1968)
1.
Out For All He Can Take, Seduce, Or Get Away With... The suave, psychedelic-era thief called Diabolik (John Phillip Law) can't get enough of life’s good-or glittery things. Not when there are currency shipments to steal from under the noses of snooty government officials and priceless jewels to lift from the boudoirs of the super rich.
The elusive scoundrel finds plenty of ways to live up to his name in this tongue-in-cheek, live-action caper inspired by Europe's popular Diabolik comics. He clambers up walls, zaps a press conference with Exhilaration Gas, smacks a confession out of a crime lord while freefalling with him from an airplane, and pulls off the heist of a twenty ton gold ingot. Impossible? No, diabolical - Danger: Diabolik, to be exact!
2.
Master criminal Diabolik's got it all. He's got a black leather suit and ski mask, a pair of Jaguar XKEs, gadgets galore, an underground headquarters, and of course the ravishing Eva (played by Sixties Euro-hottie Marisa Mell). Together, the two of them pull off daring capers, staying a step or two ahead of the police, the government and rival mobsters all the while. Think the Sixties Batman TV series, James Bond, Barbarella, Matt Helm, and even a bit of Austin Powers for this distinctly Sixties crime romp. Director Mario Bava, as usual, made the most out of a less-than-lavish budget, with wild sets, an Ennio Morricone score, striking photography, and a psychedelic-soaked feel all the way around, with Bava's trademark camera work making it a visual delight in many scenes. Terry-Thomas comes in as a bumbling government official (the scene where his press conference is disrupted by Diabolik's "exhilarating gas" is a classic). It's all very tongue-in-cheek fun, based as it is on a comic book from the period. John Phillip Law, of course, is no better than he ever is as the rather fey master criminal, passing off his wooden performance as "stoic", but it works. Unlike contemporaries like Bond, though, Diabolik eschews the swinging Sixties life for a happily monogamous relationship with Eva (who wouldn't?). This is some goofy brain candy that's perfect for an evening of Sixties-retro fun. --Jerry Renshaw
3.
Made at the height of the Swinging '60s, Mario Bava's stylish, tongue-in-cheek adaptation of the popular Italian comic strip DIABOLIK captures all the lavish decadence typical of the psychedelic era. Square-jawed leading man John Phillip Law stars as the titular antihero, a suave, cunning superthief who steals from the government and kills innocent bystanders for his own personal gain. Sharing an opulent underground lair with his stunning, amoral girlfriend Eva Kant (Marisa Mell), Diabolik globetrots Europe in his quest for wealth while confounding both the police (Michel Piccoli and Terry Thomas) and a rival criminal (Adolfo Celi). With its innovative cinematography and a pulsing score by soundtrack maestro Ennio Morricone, DIABOLIK has been referenced in a Beastie Boys video and Roman Coppola's CQ--and owns the dubious honor of being the last film parodied by Mystery Science Theater 3000.
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