Patrick O'Neal, of "The Kremlin Letter" (1970), here is some kind of skinny James Bond, who gets more punches than he gives, but, from time to time, he's invisible. Ira von Fürstenberg, who looks like a twin sister of Margaret Lee, is Arabella, kind of Bond girl. Donald Pleasence, post original Bond, makes a caricature of a villain. So does Henry Silva, a bad character parody. Nicoletta Machiavelli, who looks very good in this movie, is helping Henry Silva. All are spies and spies one another, American, Russian, Chinese, the whole planet etc. One half spies the other half... The music is signed by the great Ennio Morricone but it's not great. Director is master Alberto Lattuada, who has made many good films, including two absolute masterpieces: "Lights of Variety" (along with Fellini) and "Mafioso" with the great Alberto Sordi. Another interesting movie made by him is "Fraulein Doktor". This one is neither a masterpiece nor stupid. It's worth seeing if you like Bond parodies and for the sake of the stars.
11 Reviews
spaghetti espionage spoof
SnoopyStyle20 September 2019
New York Tribune reporter Perry 'Matchless' Liston (Patrick O'Neal) is being tortured by Chinese communists for being a spy. He is given an ancient ring by a fellow prisoner. It's a ring that turns the wearer temporarily invisible but one must not wear it again until ten hours have pass. He manages to escape execution with the ring. He manages to reach New York with O-Lan to find the Americans doing the same things. They recruit him into the spy service to go against the evil Gregori Andreanu. He finds fellow prisoner Norris after him for the ring in cooperation with their former captors.
This is an Italian made movie for the English market. It's in the lesser known spaghetti espionage spoof genre. Sometimes it makes a sharp point about the world or the genre. Sometimes it's almost funny. Patrick O'Neal is not particularly funny. It takes all the premise of a 007 spoof and non of it achieves an actual laugh. Roger Moore would be funnier. O'Neal is essentially playing it straight and that could work. In the end, I don't think the humor translates except for physical comedy. The movie starts well enough but it grinds down by the non-laughs.
This is an Italian made movie for the English market. It's in the lesser known spaghetti espionage spoof genre. Sometimes it makes a sharp point about the world or the genre. Sometimes it's almost funny. Patrick O'Neal is not particularly funny. It takes all the premise of a 007 spoof and non of it achieves an actual laugh. Roger Moore would be funnier. O'Neal is essentially playing it straight and that could work. In the end, I don't think the humor translates except for physical comedy. The movie starts well enough but it grinds down by the non-laughs.
So That's What Happened To The Ring Of Gyges
boblipton20 September 2019
So: the Cold War meant that spies were terribly interesting people, and Ian Fleming -- who actually had been a spy -- wrote some potboiler novels full of sex and sadism about the sort of spy he would have liked to have been: able to run around, drink infinite amounts of booze, save the world and bed all the good-looking women. This, of course, led into the long-running series of James Bond movies and into imitators and spoofs, like GET SMART and this one, which is not particularly gallant and not particularly funny.
Patrick O'Neal is a newspaper reporter about to the shot by the Red Chinese, probably for being in this movie. Fortunately, he has just been given a dime-store ring by an Ancient Chinese man which will turn him invisible. He has to be naked for it to be effective, of course. He escapes and is promptly recruited by American General Howard St. John to get some vials full of red liquid from billionaire Donald Pleasance -- who looks like the only one enjoying this movie. In this he is aided by Ira von Fürstenberg, and opposed by Henry Silva, who is working for the Chinese. Pleasance has a number of beautiful women working for him, and some thugs. He also has a really weird expression on his face, a Rumanian name, a castle and an Italian accent.
I am pretty sure this is supposed to be funny, because Alberto Lattuada directs, as well as contributing to the script. Maybe it's funny in Italy. From this American's viewpoint, he did a lot better work when he was writing with Fellini.
Patrick O'Neal is a newspaper reporter about to the shot by the Red Chinese, probably for being in this movie. Fortunately, he has just been given a dime-store ring by an Ancient Chinese man which will turn him invisible. He has to be naked for it to be effective, of course. He escapes and is promptly recruited by American General Howard St. John to get some vials full of red liquid from billionaire Donald Pleasance -- who looks like the only one enjoying this movie. In this he is aided by Ira von Fürstenberg, and opposed by Henry Silva, who is working for the Chinese. Pleasance has a number of beautiful women working for him, and some thugs. He also has a really weird expression on his face, a Rumanian name, a castle and an Italian accent.
I am pretty sure this is supposed to be funny, because Alberto Lattuada directs, as well as contributing to the script. Maybe it's funny in Italy. From this American's viewpoint, he did a lot better work when he was writing with Fellini.
Goofball Spy Spoof
redbeard_nv2 March 2002
A Euro production that calls upon the talents of people like Patrick O'Neal, Donald Pleasence and the consummate movie and TV bad guy, Henry Silva, can't be all bad, which it isn't.
A spaghetti spy flick spoof, which starts with the inheritance of a mystical ring containing a drug which can enable the wearer invisible (but not their clothes, leading to usually interesting rematerialization scenes), and can only be used every ten hours, leads to a manhunt for our titular hero as he is pursued for the ring throughout Europe by every single government espionage agency on the Earth, as well as his backstabbing, sleazy partner (Silva) who provides a great deal of comic relief during the chase.
Nothing tremendous in storytelling, it serves as a light hearted romp for the stars.
A spaghetti spy flick spoof, which starts with the inheritance of a mystical ring containing a drug which can enable the wearer invisible (but not their clothes, leading to usually interesting rematerialization scenes), and can only be used every ten hours, leads to a manhunt for our titular hero as he is pursued for the ring throughout Europe by every single government espionage agency on the Earth, as well as his backstabbing, sleazy partner (Silva) who provides a great deal of comic relief during the chase.
Nothing tremendous in storytelling, it serves as a light hearted romp for the stars.
Often amusing spy spoof, but it could have been better
gridoon202421 November 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Disclaimer: the DVD-R print of "Matchless" that I watched was atrocious. I am used to lower-than-normal print quality when it comes to these obscure movies, but this one was borderline unwatchable. Let's hope it gets an official DVD release some day. It's an amusing little spy comedy, which also contains a classic element of the fantastic cinema (invisibility), as well as some innovative action sequences (at one point, our hero hangs on at the BOTTOM of a moving train; at another point, he lands his car on the TOP of a moving train!). However, you get the feeling that "Matchless" does not really exploit all the comic possibilities of the invisibility gimmick; "Abbott and Costello Meet The Invisible Man" did it better. Patrick O'Neal is a likably understated lead, Donald Pleasence is well-cast as the vain and eccentric villain, and Ira Von Furstenberg tries on a variety of provocative, barely-there outfits; her face is gorgeous and her body is magnificent - she has the most perfect abs ever! ** out of 4.
Not great film art, but fun to watch
jd-gudmundson22 February 2006
Wonderful mindless fun entertainment. Goofy plot, passable acting, clumsy dialog, but it is the kind of movie that doesn't ask much of the viewer, and viewers shouldn't ask much of it except for a bit of fun. I had fun. There is a wonderful bad guy, there are beautiful women like in the James Bond films, and there is a rather hapless quasi-Bond type who gets caught up in the intrigue. This is a film in the 1960s spoof genre, with its chase scenes, cars, planes, helicopters, parachutes, kites, boats, and on and on. It pokes fun at the James Bond type of movie, while at the same time having a bit of its own espionage action, just enough that the film could stand on its own (shakily) as a spy/seduction movie. This is worth renting if you can get it. It is too bad they don't make more of this fun entertainment these days.
Unwatchable crap
Cufflinksandtie20 September 2019
A poor "caper" film from the nadir of American moviemaking. Trite set pieces and dreadful cinematography. Acti? Go to a grammar school play and see better. It's the second or third worst I've see, since previewing a turkey about the gas lines during a gas crisis at the Paramount Studios executive screening room. Since I was dating one of the executives, I couldn't leave. Nearly as bad was a Coppola mess with Francis in a wrinkled white suit, sweating more water than the LA river trying to defend it and raise money for it. I think it was about drunks in Las Vegas.
Eye-filling, but...
JohnHowardReid14 September 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Lavishly produced with superbly imaginative direction and some marvelous color photography, shot on location in New York, London and Munich, this movie stars luscious Ira Furstenberg, who is sexily got up in alluringly weirdo costumes. A pity all this is lavished on yet another of those so-so sub-007 spy spoofs. Patrick O'Neal is a fine actor, though he does not possess the necessary comic insouciance to carry on his unwilling secret agent. Other members of the cast, including Donald Pleasance, Henry Silva, Howard St John and Sorrell Booke are similarly handicapped with the result that a lot of the movie's humor falls flat. Fortunately, no-one could complain about Miss Machiavelli, however, nor could they denigrate the film's sets and compositions which are as eye-filling as Princess Furstenberg herself.
A very nice cast
bensonmum226 January 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Newspaper reporter and would-be spy, Perry Liston (Patrick O'Neal), finds himself in a Chinese prison. He's housed with old, dying man whom he befriends. Before the old man dies, he gives Liston a ring that has the power to make him invisible. Liston escapes, makes his way to Europe, gets mixed up with a crazed villain, and, in the end, must save mankind from destruction (or something like that).
Other than the invisibility angle, this is all pretty standard Eurospy stuff. And, it's in these moments that I really enjoyed Matchless. But, the invisibility ring and all the "hilarious" shenanigans it produces really put a damper on my enjoyment. It's all too slapstick for my taste. I enjoy a spy film with a generous helping of tongue-in- cheek, but, at times, this goes way overboard into the realm of being absurd. And that's too bad because the rest is a pretty decent movie. Of course the plot makes little sense (do plots ever make sense in these movies?) and it's all shot fairly cheaply, but it's got something about it I enjoyed. The cast is really the standout. Donald Pleasance was never better. His take on the super-villain in Matchless is as good as I've seen. He's a hoot! Joining Pleasance are the manically laughing Henry Silva and the drop-dead gorgeous Ira von Furstenberg. Supposed star Patrick O'Neal is the weakest of the main cast. And the poor dubbing/looping of his dialogue doesn't help.
Overall, Matchless is a decent Eurospy effort that's hurt by some lame attempts at humor. A wishy-washy 5/10 is about the best rating I can give it.
Other than the invisibility angle, this is all pretty standard Eurospy stuff. And, it's in these moments that I really enjoyed Matchless. But, the invisibility ring and all the "hilarious" shenanigans it produces really put a damper on my enjoyment. It's all too slapstick for my taste. I enjoy a spy film with a generous helping of tongue-in- cheek, but, at times, this goes way overboard into the realm of being absurd. And that's too bad because the rest is a pretty decent movie. Of course the plot makes little sense (do plots ever make sense in these movies?) and it's all shot fairly cheaply, but it's got something about it I enjoyed. The cast is really the standout. Donald Pleasance was never better. His take on the super-villain in Matchless is as good as I've seen. He's a hoot! Joining Pleasance are the manically laughing Henry Silva and the drop-dead gorgeous Ira von Furstenberg. Supposed star Patrick O'Neal is the weakest of the main cast. And the poor dubbing/looping of his dialogue doesn't help.
Overall, Matchless is a decent Eurospy effort that's hurt by some lame attempts at humor. A wishy-washy 5/10 is about the best rating I can give it.
GOOD FAST PACED MOVIE AHEAD OF IT'S TIME
larryanderson11 April 2020
Donald Pleasance (in a pre-Bond appearance), used ROBOTS to serve food in his castle. This was in 1967 and today we use them in serving positions and call it AI. The movie moves along well with a fabulous cast of international stars and many "familiar" Italian actors known in that era. A somewhat believable story from start to finish. However, the escape across the river in the Car that is ALSO a Boat was taken directly from Richard Harrison's 1965, SECRET AGENT FIREBALL. They even used the river tunnels in much the same fashion. However, watch it if you like Euro-Spy movies.
There are better movies but worse too
stefanozucchelli12 November 2021
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