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6/10
Intriguing as well as hilarious Euro-spy film regularly shot by recently deceased Jesus Franco or ¨Uncle Jess
ma-cortes15 March 2015
This amusing but failed film is starred by two lovely ladies of the 'Red Lips' detective agency , both of whom are on the track of missing people . "Red Lips" are two female agents (Janine Reynaud as Diana and Rosanna Yanni as Regina) attempting to find abducted models and dancers . Two tough as well as scantily dressed detectives , the world's deadliest and most dazzlingly female spies , including their lipstick kiss as their trademark . A pop artist called Klaus (Adrian Hoven) aided by his right-hand , a hirsute werewolf-like assistant, Morpho (Michel Lemoine) , the latter a villain who cruelly kidnaps and murders his victims , result to be the main suspects for the missing and killings . At the end takes place a twisted surprise about the murders .

Colorful but mediocre rendition about European spy subgenre , an usual genre during the sixties , not taking any situation seriously ; being realized in similar style to famous strip-cartoon thrillers as Modesty Blaise , Diabolik and Barbarella . This very campy picture contains thrills , action , phantasmagoria , tongue-in-cheek , absurd situations , but being middlingly developed . The picture was made by the time in which Franco directed nice movies such as The sadistic Baron Klaus , Rififi En La Ciudad , Miss Muerte or Diabolic Doctor Z , Necronomicon and Gritos en la Noche , developing a consolidated professionalism , as his career got more and more impoverished in the following years, but his endless creativity enabled him to tackle films in all genres, from "B" horror to erotic films . The main and support cast -with everyone having fun- is passable , but they are really wasted . The best of the interpretation results to be Adrian Hoven in a double role as a cunning villain and sporting an eye patch, including some enjoyable moments . Furthermore , a sympathetic Manolo Otero , he was a Latin lover as well singer , early deceased , who married Eurotrash goddess Pilar Velazquez , in fact here he sings a charming song . And other uncredited actors in brief appearances as Claudia Gravy , Pilar Clemens , Marta Reves , Julio Pérez Tabernero and even writer Vicente Molina Foix . Atmospheric original music by Jerry van Rooyen , including jam session , disco music and a catching leitmotif . Evocative cinematography by Jorge Herrero being filmed on location in Manga Del Mar Menor , Murcia and Andalucia . The motion picture was middlingly directed by Jesus Franco and was followed by a sequel titled ¨Besame Monstruo¨ or ¨Kiss Me Monster¨ shot back to back with similar casting and technical team .

Jesus Franco was a Stajanovist filmmaker who realized 203 movies . However , here he doesn't use his trademarks , as he pulls off a traditional narration , without zooms , neither lousy pace . As the picture belongs to Franco's first period in which he made passable flicks . Jesus uses to sign under pseudonym , among the aliases he used, apart from the names Jess Franco or Franco Manera, were Jess Frank, Robert Zimmerman, Frank Hollman, Clifford Brown, David Khune , Toni Falt, James P. Johnson, Charlie Christian, David Tough , among others . Franco used to utilize usual marks such as zooms , nudism , foreground on objects , filmmaking in ¨do-it-yourself effort¨ style or DIY and managing to work extraordinarily quickly , realizing some fun diversions, and a lot of absolute crap . Many pictures had nice photography , full of lights and shades in Orson Welles style , in fact , Franco was direction-assistant in ¨Chimes at midnight¨ and edited ¨El Quijote¨ by Welles . He often used to introduce second , third or fourth versions , including Hardcore or Softcore inserts or sexual stocks many of them played by his muse Lina Romay . In many of the more than 200 films he's directed he has also worked as composer, writer, cinematographer and editor. His first was "We Are 18 Years Old" and the second picture was ¨Gritos en la Noche¨ (1962) , the best of all them , also titled "The Awful Dr. Orlof" , it's followed by various sequels such as El Secreto del Dr. Orloff (1964) aka "The Mistresses of Dr. Jekyll" , " Orloff y el hombre invisible (1970) aka "Dr. Orloff's Invisible Monster" and finally "Faceless" (1987) . He also directed to the great Christopher Lee in 4 films : "The Bloody Judge" , ¨Count Dracula¨, ¨The Blood of Fu Manchu¨ and ¨The castle of Fu Manchu¨ . Jesús's influence has been notable all over Europe . From his huge body of work we can deduce that Jesús Franco is one of the most restless directors of Spanish cinema and often releasing several titles at the same time. Many of his films have had problems in getting released, and others have been made directly for video. More than once his staunchest supporters have found his "new" films to contain much footage from one or more of his older films . Jesús Franco is a survivor in a time when most of his colleagues tried to please the government administration. He broke up with all that and got the independence he was seeking. He always went upstream in an ephemeral industry that fed opportunists and curbed the activity of many professionals . But time doesn't pass in vain, and Jesus' production has diminished since the 90s ; however he went on shooting until his recent death .
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5/10
TWO UNDERCOVER ANGELS {U.S. And Spanish Versions} (Jesus Franco, 1967) **
Bunuel197613 February 2007
Made immediately after SUCCUBUS (1967) - one of Franco's most serious and dense efforts - with three of its lead actors (husband and wife team Janine Reynaud and Michel Lemoine and producer Adrian Hoven) and much the same crew, this film and its sequel KISS ME, MONSTER (1967) retained its colorful look and pop-art backdrop but they were its exact opposites in mood and intent (which, ultimately, reflected on their overall quality and significance in the director's vast canon).

That's not to say that the individual films are totally worthless: TWO UNDERCOVER ANGELS is a goofy combination of various genres then at their zenith - espionage, comic strips and low-grade horror (Lemoine is made-up as villain Hoven's werewolf assistant!); fun, therefore, but decidedly lightweight...despite the artistic Hoven's modus operandi - painting the fear on the faces of dying women from photographs he takes himself and then hiding the bodies inside sculptures - having probably been inspired by PEEPING TOM (1960) and HOUSE OF WAX (1953) respectively!

Typical of such spy fare, the mystery at the centre of the plot emerges as pretty trivial - to say nothing of obvious with respect to Hoven's dual identity; Franco handles the proceedings with some gusto and the film moves at a fairly brisk pace - but, even after two viewings in one day, there's precious little to remember about it (certainly not the unspeakable dubbing of the English-language version featured on the Blue Underground DVD)...apart, that is, from the lovely leading ladies themselves - Reynaud and Rosanna Yanni - who, given their contrasting personalities, make a rather delightful team (and their scanty wardrobe, ranging from the fashionable to the fetishistic, certainly helps!).

Knowing that these films were toned-down and altered for the Spanish market, I managed to acquire an unsubtitled copy on DVD-R of those particular versions: in the case of TWO UNDERCOVER ANGELS, it was called EL CASO DE LAS DOS BELLEZAS (THE CASE OF THE TWO BEAUTIES). My friend (and Jess Franco authority) Francesco Cesari who, unlike me, is fluent in the language has said that the film is greatly improved in this variant - and even funnier; well, given the language obstruction, I couldn't really testify to the latter - but I'm glad I watched the English version first, because otherwise the plot would have been impossible to follow! Still, while the differences are considerable, to my eyes they're not really night and day as Francesco suggested and the overall effect was pretty much the same (save, of course, for the more natural-sounding Spanish dubbing!). To begin with, the scores were different - the English version by Jerry Van Rooyen (who also did SUCCUBUS) and the Spanish by Fernando Garcia Morcillo; I personally enjoyed the Van Rooyen one more, while Francesco preferred Morcillo's accompaniment.

Some scenes ran longer in the Spanish print, while others have been changed around - but, again, I like the editing of the shorter U.S. version better. For instance, the first three scenes from the English-language print are absurdly jumbled in the Spanish cut: instead of introducing the two leads immediately and then show the museum robbery, followed by Reynaud's presentation of the stolen painting to Adrian Hoven (while still in the "Red Lips" costume from the previous scene), we begin with the robbery, then cut to the apartment scene (where Reynaud is casually dressed) and then she steps in costume again for her meeting with Hoven! In view of the oppressive censorship conditions in Spain during this time, the U.S. version obviously comes across as sexier (notably the writhing of a 'caged' naked girl in a nightclub scene, which was re-shot in the dark for the Spanish market). On the other hand, the soundtrack for the Spanish version is significantly 'cleaner': the U.S. print features a lot of useless background noise which makes dubbing job seem even more fake than it already is!

The DVD transfer is pretty nice, and I must say that the quality of the Spanish copy far exceeded my expectations - apart from a couple of brief instances where it froze and skipped. Besides TWO UNDERCOVER ANGELS' theatrical trailer, the Blue Underground disc for this title features yet another informative interview with the prolific and outspoken film-maker in which he discusses the making of the two "Red Lips" films; among other things, he notes that this was the first instance in his career where he shot two films back-to-back while confessing to have taken a liking to the practice immediately!
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5/10
With better dubbing, this might be a good film
bensonmum24 April 2005
Warning: Spoilers
  • Two female detectives are hired to find a missing woman. They soon discover that their missing woman is only one of many models and dancers who have vanished. The trail leads to an artist who paints and sculpts women at the time of their deaths. His work is eerily reminiscent of the woman they're looking for.


  • Two Undercover Angels appears to have been an attempt by Franco to cash-in on the success of James Bond and other spy movies of the 60s. While this was the first "Red Lips" movie that Franco made, I unfortunately saw the sequel, Kiss Me Monster, first. Two Undercover Angels is miles ahead of the sequel by having something of an understandable plot (I would argue that the second in the series had no plot), acting, sets, and every other way imaginable. A lot of the jokes (this is a spoof after all) work in this movie.


  • While this movie may be better than it's successor, that's not to say it's a particularly good movie. Part of the problem, unfortunately, comes from the dubbing. I'm not one to complain about dubbing, but this may be the worst I've heard. It's hardly the fault of Franco or anyone else involved in making the movie, but it's still a distraction. The bad dubbing may be partially responsible for the confusion I had from time-to-time following the plot. But Franco's style of storytelling doesn't help much either. He introduces new characters on a regular basis that add little or nothing to the proceeding but to confuse the issue. As soon as you think you've gotten a handle on a new character, they disappear never to be seen again.


  • The two detectives mentioned in the title are played by Janine Reynaud and Rosanna Yanni. At least from appearances, they appear to be having a good time with their roles. There is a sense of humor and ease with which they work together that helps to make-up for some of the movie's shortcomings.


  • If someone were to ask me for a good place to begin discovering Franco, this is not where I would advise them to begin. Seek out Venus in Furs or The Diabolical Doctor Z for a place to start with Franco.
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Campy, sexy private eye fun from Franco.
Infofreak24 January 2002
'Sadisterotica' (fantastic title!) isn't really your typical Jess Franco movie. Released in the same year as his classic 'Succubus', it doesn't consist of his usual blend of eroticism and horror, it is instead a campy detective comedy/thriller in the vein of 'Modesty Blaise' or Mario Bava's 'Diabolik'. Fans of Matt Helm and Austin Powers will dig it.

Two beautiful detectives Diana ('Succubus' star Janine Reynaud) and Regina (Rosanna Yanni) operate under the pseudonym "Red Lips", with a lipstick kiss as their trade mark. While investigating the disappearance of a woman they stumble across a series of abductions/possible murders, which appear to be linked to the mysterious eye-patch wearing artist Klaus Tiller, and his hirsute, werewolf-like assistant Morpho. (Adrian Hoven and Michel Lemoine, both also from 'Succubus'). The pair attempt to earn their clients' fee, catch the baddies, and simultaneously evade capture themselves by the police.

While 'Sadisterotica' is a little different from most of Franco's output it still features his trademarks of beautiful, scantily dressed women, illogical, dreamlike plots, and an almost Pop Art sensibility. This is certainly not Franco's best work, but it is some of his most accessible and entertaining. Lots of fun, and there is even a sequel!
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3/10
A real mess from Jesus Franco
Red-Barracuda24 July 2008
Sadisterotica is a great title for a film. Sadly, the title is more or less the only good thing about this effort. This is a real mish-mash of ideas. It's part horror, comic-book hero, comedy, sexploitation and mystery. And really, it doesn't do justice to any of these genres! The plot follows a couple of women investigating a series of murders connected to a mysterious artist.

This is a Jesus Franco film, so expectations have to be lowered accordingly. The man has made some decent flicks such as Vampyros Lesbos and Count Dracula but he's also made an awful lot of dreck. This baby fits into the latter category I'm afraid. Technically it's terrible with a succession of badly photographed scenes roughly edited together. The actors are unappealing and the storyline dire. The version I watched also happened to have truly diabolical dubbing which did not exactly help matters.

The comedy is hopeless, the horror completely unscary, the nudity unerotic, the mystery uninvolving; the only positive I can offer is that it is pretty weird. Other than that I'm really struggling to think of anything kind to say about this. Franco is an acquired taste and this is not one of his best.
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3/10
Doesn't deliver what the title suggests.
BA_Harrison21 September 2020
Despite its salacious title, Sadist Erotica is actually one of Franco's less extreme movies, a kitsch '60s detective caper in the style of Modesty Blaise or Danger Diabolik.

The film's heroines are detectives Diana (redhead Janine Reynaud, who looks like Jane Fonda's less attractive sister) and Regina (Rosanna Yanni, a blonde with a great body), who go by the name of 'Red Lips'. Their mission: to find out what has happened to missing model Lida (María Antonia Redondo, a cracking brunette, sexier than either of the main actresses, in my opinion). The guilty party is eye-patch wearing artist Klaus Thiller (Adrien Hoven), who sends his inexplicably hairy assistant Morpho (Michel Lemoine) to abduct beautiful women, the painter believing that his victims' deaths make his work everlasting.

In the right hands, this colourful exercise in comic-strip camp could have been a lot of fun, but Franco's direction here is leaden and his script seems to have been made up on the fly. For much of the time, not a lot of interest happens, with very little in the way of the expected Bond-style action. It's all very tongue in cheek and frivolous, and if it wasn't for some topless nudity, the film would be suitable for the whole family - not what most fans expect from good old Jess! Redondo in her underwear (in the opening scene) and Rosanna Yanni in a few sexy outfits aside, I found the whole thing very tedious, and longed for some Franco excess to spice things up.
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4/10
Lazy Franco.
dmacewen3 January 2010
As Tim Lucas has pointed out, Jess Franco has made some of the best and some of the worst of European exploitation. The man made so many films that the majority fall somewhere in between, usually falling on the negative side of the spectrum. Two Undercover Angels is one such film. On the plus side are a terrific soundtrack, some good photography, and the occasional moment of genuine Franco lunacy. The downside: everything else. That the storyline is a mishmash of genres wouldn't be so important if Franco knew what kind of spirit or tone he wanted to aim for. The editing alternates between avant-garde and sloppy. But absolutely inexcusable are the English-language script and the dubbing. I have a high tolerance for much of the Franco dialogue that some critics refer to as "relentless and risible," but this was too much even for me. The banality of the dialogue seems inherent to the material: the dubbing-script translation makes matters worse by making much of it incoherent. As far as the technical aspects of the dubbing are concerned, there are repeated scenes in which characters speak but the actors' lips don't move. While not a disaster, this is a far cry from such amazing fare as She Killed in Ecstasy and The Bloody Judge.
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5/10
Red Lips!!!
BandSAboutMovies28 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Also known as Sadist Erotica, The Case of the Two BeautiesTwo Avenging Angels and Red Lips Sadisterotica, this mindblast from Jess Franco is kinda sorta a Eurospy movie, but you get the feeling that Mr. Franco just wants to get to the choking and nudity and whipping and forget whatever minor plot there is.

Basically: two lesbian detectives are trying to find criminals, so they themselves pose as a supercriminal named Red Lips (this goes back to Franco's second movie,Red Lips, which was before Bondmania). The police have no idea and the tone of the films go from swinging fun and humor to outright brutality with no warning whatsoever.

I have no idea if I can explain what happens in this movie, which starts with an attractive brunette - Franco loved his brunettes, so get ready - being ripped to shreds by a werewolf man while a rich guy named Klaus Thiller watches and paints it all.

Then Red Lips steals a painting and we learn that the two lesbians, the blonde Regina (Rosanna Yanni, Count Dracula's Great Love) and redhead Diana (Janine Reynaud, The Case of the Scorpion's Tail) wear the mask and outfit when it suits them.

So yeah. The girls get hired to find someone that Thiller probably killed, they sleep with every man around them and yet still wind up with one another. Also: every few minutes, just when things threaten to get boring, there's a go go dancing scene filled with nudity and blaring music.

This movie made no sense and I loved it for that reason. You might hate it. Who can say?
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8/10
Enjoyable 60's kitsch from Jess Franco
Woodyanders17 November 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Crafty Diana (ravishing redhead stunner Janice Reynaud) and ditsy Regina (lovely blonde knockout Rosanna Yanni) are a couple of sexy super sleuths known as the Red Lips. The gorgeous gals go after perverted pop artist Klaus Tiller (a nicely sinister turn by Adrian Hoven), who's killing various models, actresses and exotic dancers for the sake of his extreme art.

Director/co-writer Jess Franco relates the eventful plot at a steady pace and maintains a cheerfully silly tongue-in-cheek tone throughout. Reynaud and Yanni make for gorgeous and appealing leads; their natural and unforced easy'n'breezy chemistry keeps the picture humming. The rest of the cast is likewise solid, with nifty contributions by Chris Howland as gallant British detective Francis McClune, Marcelo Arroita-Jauregui as the bumbling Inspector Tanner, Manolo Otero as dashing Italian playboy Vittorio Freda, and Michel Lemoine as Tiller's freakish werewolf-like henchman Morpho. The delicious Dorit Dom burns up the screen with a couple of sizzling hot striptease set pieces at a swinging nightclub. The polished cinematography by Jorge Herrero and Franz Hofer gives the film an attractive vibrant look. Jerry van Rooyen's robust jazzy score hits the groovy spot. While this flick is admittedly pretty mild and innocuous stuff compared to Franco's more racy and explicit movies, there's nonetheless a good-natured quality evident throughout which makes the whole thing an entertainingly goofy diversion. A real campy hoot.
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5/10
Spoilers follow ...
parry_na1 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
With a director who provokes such extreme reactions as Jess Franco – he's often either revered or reviled – the truth concerning the quality of his output is usually somewhere in the middle. In my view, the appeal of 'Sadist Erotica' drifts closer to the 'disappointing' end of the spectrum. The fault does not lie entirely with Uncle Jess – both the English version of the script and the dubbing itself are pretty appalling, and any attempts at humour are truly squashed by this double-barrelled attack.

Comedies are not really Franco's forte. Or perhaps I should simply say that this style does not appeal to me. I would count his latter day 'Red Silk (1999)' as amongst his worst and, I'm sorry to say, this exists in a similar league. Having said that, it is easier to watch this once you have got used to its limitations, which hit you from the very start.

'Sadist Erotica' works best as an exercise in nostalgia, a time of unconcerned casual sex and no repercussions. Main players Jeanine Reynault (as Diana) and Rossanna Yani (as Regina) form the Hot Lips detective duo. Two strong-minded, independent women who nevertheless spend most of their time fantasising over men. As detectives, it is difficult to imagine a squad less likely. Their 'kooky' sixties lifestyle is appealing and carefree, and the locations in which they live are rarely less than charming. The story soon becomes lost in the sea of extravagant characters and unengaging performances, but it seems a growing number of attractive models are going missing. The culprits may be hard-to-kill werewolf-like Morpho (Michael Lemoino) and his shady Master (Adrian Hoven).

A definite positive is the soundtrack, Jerry van Rooyen's jazzy soundtrack sweeps alongside the eccentric series of events and scatty set-pieces. The whole is a bizarre and vaguely appealing mess of ideas and tones, veering from lazy thriller, tepid horror and badly translated comedy. Whilst more than a sum of its parts, 'Sadist Erotica' is nevertheless not Jess Franco's most engaging production.

"I really think it's time to bring this farce to an end," to quote one character, is a little harsh perhaps, but a point of view that does provoke a certain sympathy.
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5/10
What the hell did i just watch?!?
cold_lazarou29 March 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I just performed a feat that many would probably balk at: i sat through Jess Franco's bizarre-a-thon '60s crime caper / spy-fi / horror flick "Sadisterotica" (aka "Two Undercover Angels") for the second time in two days.

Glutten for punishment, you may well say: making the 'sadist' part of the title almost apt. Sadly for a movie involving the buxom charms of Rosanna Yanni and Janine Reymaud, though, there is precious little of the 'erotica' that one would expect from crazy Jess after seeing later works such as "Vampyros Lesbos" or "Female Vampire". Ah, well: you can't have everything, and i was focussing too hard on trying to detect a plot and keep tabs on the myriad characters to be distracted, anyway.

The two titular (arf!) lovely ladies of the 'Red Lips' detective agency are on the track of missing models, which lead them to murderous pop artist Klaus Tiller, with his amazing disguise kit of fake beard, fez and eyepatch that will have precisely no-one fooled, and his inexplicable werewolf sidekick - named Morpho, as is de riguer for deformed henchmen in a Franco flick.

If you can cope with the excreble dubbing in the English-language release - which really is terrible: my brother and i used to do better making stuff up on the spot with a microphone and the video's audio-dub button - then this kitsch and campy slice of late '60s madness does yield some enjoyment. Gawd only knows what was happening most of the time, though. It made more sense when i watched it drunk: i recommend everyone does the same.
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5/10
See it for Rosanna Yanni
gridoon202413 June 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Sometimes I feel like I'm repeating myself when it comes to commenting on Jess Franco films, but it's not my fault that the majority of his movies that I've seen suffer from the same two problems: static pacing and barely coherent plotting. Both of these also plague "Two Undercover Angels", though at least there's no crazy ZOOMing in this one. Another problem - for which Franco can't be blamed - is that the English dubbing often sounds as if the dubbers were making up the dialogue on the spot instead of reading a translated script! Despite all that, the film is colorful and fun to watch as a precursor to "Charlie's Angels" (with an added layer of Franco perversion, of course), and both Rosanna Yanni and Janine Reynaud are knockouts. My favorite of the two is Yanni: awesome hair, perfect face, and a very feminine but also very strong and fit body; seeing her working out is almost worth the price of admission alone. ** out of 4.

P.S. I must say that my appreciation of Franco went up after watching his DVD interview. He is honest, down-to-earth, and has a sense of humor; he admits that he hates the misleading title "Sadisterotica"!
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