"Kommissar X - Jagd auf Unbekannt" or "Kiss Kiss... Kill Kill" is a co-production between Germany and some other countries from Europe that resulted in this 90-minute German-language film from 1966, so this film had its 50th anniversary last year already. right now it seems more difficult to find a German-language version than an English dub. The director and one of the writers who adapted the highly prolific Paul Alfred Müller's novel here was Gianfranco Parolini, still alive today, but long retired. This is actually the very first of several Kommissar X films from back then starring Tony Kendall. During that time Germany was mostly known for Edgar Wallace and Winnetou, but these films add another long-running series. Those obviously were linked closely to James Bond with the Fort Know reference in here even , that was a major component in the film Goldfinger from briefly before. But I was never sure what this film we have here was trying to be: an authentic spy movie, or just basically a spoof of one of the biggest film franchises from all times. Maybe a mix of both. And as such, it was not necessarily working. At least not as much as I hoped it would. There are moments that feel as if they could really be taken from a Bond film, like the bantering or these powerful women soldiers, but it just wasn't enough. and honestly, besides that, the comedy (very common back then in German films, also serious ones actually like the two franchises I mentioned) was working even less. A truly underwhelming film as a whole and I genuinely hope they managed to step things up for the sequels. Otherwise, I believe they should not have been made. Watch something else instead.
