Massarati and the Brain (1982)

A secret agent searches for a sunken treasure of rare coins. He must battle a Nazi who is also searching for the treasure, and is helped by a 10-year-old genius who builds electronic weapons for him.

Director:

Harvey Hart

Writer:

George Kirgo

Stars:

Daniel Pilon, Peter Billingsley, Christopher Hewett

Cast

Credited cast:
Daniel Pilon	...	Mas Massarati
Peter Billingsley	...	Christopher 'The Brain' Massarati
Christopher Hewett	...	Anatole
Markie Post	...	Julie Ramsdell
Ann Turkel	...	Wilma Hines / Diana Meridith (impostor)
Camilla Sparv	...	Dorothea
Kathryn Witt	...	Diana Meridith (real)
Christopher Lee	...	Victor Leopold
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Greta Blackburn	...	Sharon
Yukio G. Collins	...	Yukio
Kaz Garas	...	Nick Henry
Jeff Imada	...	Sushi
Gail Jensen	...	Camille Henry
Heather O'Rourke	...	Skye Henry
Ricky Supiran	...	Rocky Henry

Storyline

A secret agent searches for a sunken treasure of rare coins. He must battle a Nazi who is also searching for the treasure, and is helped by a 10-year-old genius who builds electronic weapons for him.

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Plot Keywords:

treasure | nazi | spy | character name in title | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 August 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Massarati

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aaron Spelling Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

MASSARATI AND THE BRAIN {TV} (Harvey Hart, 1982) **1/2

Yet another made-for-TV espionage thriller – after the recently-viewed ONCE UPON A SPY, also with Christopher Lee, and S*H*E* (both 1980) – with an even more comical and juvenile bent, considering that the "Brain" of the title is no more than a whizz kid of 10! Lee dispensed with his moustache for this one but not his wicked ways – he plays an ex-Nazi bent on retrieving a sunken fortune in rare coins. The hero, then, is the typical luxury-loving womanizer whose penchant for impromptu karate sessions with his Oriental manservants is also straight out of some Inspector Clouseau vehicle!; his abode, then, is not unlike the Bruce Wayne manor minus the Batcave, faithfully overseen by a long-suffering butler/chef whose recipes continually go unappreciated!

The director had made the impressive horror thriller DARK INTRUDER (1965), a failed TV pilot subsequently released to theaters; this one feels like it had the same intent and, likewise, was not picked up for a series! The film is not terrible per se, but neither is it especially engaging or memorable – though Lee's commitment to his roles in even such substandard fare is indeed admirable (incidentally, as in AN EYE FOR AN EYE {1981}, he gets to express befuddlement at his opponents' sheer resilience but, given that he had previously left them tied up at the mercy of a time-bomb, this reaction is perhaps understandable here!). As expected, the protagonist has any number of females crossing his path, be they colleagues, clients or criminals; also on hand is ill-fated child actress Heather O'Rourke, soon to briefly attain fame in the same year's POLTERGEIST.