Our Man Flint (1966)

When scientists use eco-terrorism to impose their will on the world by affecting extremes in the weather, Intelligence Chief Cramden calls in top agent Derek Flint.

Director:

Daniel Mann

Writers:

Hal Fimberg (screenplay), Ben Starr (screenplay)

Stars:

James Coburn, Lee J. Cobb, Gila Golan

3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Coburn	...	Derek Flint
Lee J. Cobb	...	Cramden
Gila Golan	...	Gila
Edward Mulhare	...	Malcolm Rodney
Benson Fong	...	Dr. Schneider
Shelby Grant	...	Leslie
Sigrid Valdis	...	Anna
Gianna Serra	...	Gina
Helen Funai	...	Sakito
Michael St. Clair	...	Hans Gruber
Rhys Williams	...	Dr. Krupov
Russ Conway	...	American General
Ena Hartman	...	WAC
Bill Walker	...	American Diplomat (as 'William Walker')
Peter Brocco	...	Dr. Wu

Storyline

The world's weather seems to have changed dramatically with violent storms everywhere and long dormant volcanoes suddenly erupting. No one is sure what is happening or why but when American intelligence chief Cramden loses yet another team of agents, there appears to be only one man who can do the job: Derek Flint, former super spy, incredibly rich and the ultimate ladies man. Despite Cramden's concerns, Flint is on the job and soon discovers that the Earth's weather is under the control of a secret organization known as GALAXY whose scientists are looking to pacify the world and devote humankind to scientific pursuits.

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Plot Keywords:

punch card | stopped heart | periscope | imposter | dam busting | 

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Taglines:

He's a Karate Champion, Brain Surgeon, Swordsman, and Nuclear Physicist...

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Brolin appears uncredited as a technician in the background on the villain's submarine. The first time is for just 7 seconds, only 50 seconds into the movie. He appears again at around 1 hour and 5 minutes.

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Goofs

The chemical formulas on the small bags in the briefcase with "65 weapons" Cramden tries to give Flint are nonsense. According to the formulas, the leftmost bag consists of benzoic acid, a food preservative; the middle bag is tartaric acid, commonly found in fruits and wine; the rightmost bag is acrolein, a toxic, unstable and stinking substance that smells of burning fat. None of these would be of any use for a secret agent.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mr. Cramden: Gentlemen? Gentlemen, it's quite true. The weather continues to defy nature. Overnight the temperature at the Arctic has risen 4.9F.

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Alternate Versions

UK video and DVD versions are cut by 26 seconds. A scene with Flint using a mains socket to resuscitate an unconscious guard has been almost totally removed.

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Connections

References From Russia with Love (1963)

User Reviews

Zowie: Super-Cool Sixties Spy Spoof

MASTER PLAN: makeover the world, beginning with ridding it of nukes. This is probably the best of the spoofs jumping on the James Bond bandwagon of the sixties (this came out after "Thunderball"). It takes the inherent absurdities of the Bond universe and amps them up even further, but not into total slapstick, like the much later "Austin Powers" pics of the nineties. This begins with a depiction of several major natural disasters throughout the world (stock footage from other films, I presume), the result of nefarious forces who can control the weather. The U.N., or something like it, is in near-panic, as groups of special agents have already failed to get to the bottom of this. But, Flint, the good-natured premiere secret agent, at first refuses to come out of retirement, nonchalantly suggesting that the world would right itself without his help. What makes this thoroughly entertaining is Coburn's performance as Flint: his is an unusual persona - arrogant yet humble, insolent yet polite, way too intelligent, always cool, with a bit of Steve McQueen and a touch of mysticism. And, quite unlike Sean Connery's version of 007. His character is very wealthy (why, we dunno), a martial arts expert with a catch-all gadget and his own set of codes. There's also a zen aspect, as, through some kind of meditation, he can turn off his own heartbeat. He also takes Bond's way with women a step further: he has his own harem, a quartet of ladies who cater to him and seem to worship his every move. Ah, yes, those sixties.

The film also copies the Bond structure of a teaser and then some surrealistic credits involving the female form, although these are less innovative. The actor Cobb is amusing as this world's version of M, the supposed chief and head of ZOWIE, always flustered and shocked by Flint's obstinate ways and arcane knowledge. He's also constantly answering the red phone, whose strange ringing signals a call from the U.S. Prez. The main villains turn out to be a trio of scientists whose aim is to change the world, after taking it over, of course. They operate from an island base which makes even the huge sets of the Bond films seem puny by comparison. There are even amusing direct references to the Bonders: this is not SPECTRE Flint is up against, we learn, and he has a scene with agent 0008, who happens to resemble Sean Connery. Another villain, a slick henchman (Mulhare), looks like Michael Caine's evil brother. And there's the femme fatale (Golan), who eventually goes over to Flint's side. Much of the film is silly, of course, with Flint's superhuman detective skills and cunning soon getting him to that island, by way of a certain soup recipe used in Marseille. But, once there, he finds a version of paradise which may suit his own perfectionist ways and this actually thrusts the story towards some thoughtful points, if so briefly. Since much of this proposed new world involves mind control, this may be why he rejects it outright - he's way too individualistic. There follows the standard explosions and carnage. This was successful enough to warrant the sequel, "In Like Flint," and was better than the lazy Matt Helm films of the same period. Hero:8 Villains:7 Femme Fatale:7 Henchman:7 Fights:7 Stunts/Chases:6 Gadgets:8 Auto:6 Locations:7 Pace:7 overall:7

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

16 January 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

Our Man Flint

Filming Locations:

USS Yorktown, Pacific Ocean

Box Office

Budget:

$3,525,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1