Transporting its Italian comic book roots to the big screen, Danger: Diabolik (1968), directed by Mario Bava (Blood and Black Lace) and produced by powerhouse Dino De Laurentiis (Barbarella), plays like a vivid three dimensional escapade that fuses elements of swinging sixties spy chic, an early take on the anti-hero, a greedy twist on the Robin Hood tales of yore, and splashes of kitschy Batman (that is, the television series), all coming together for plenty of frivolous fun.
The titular Diabolik (John Phillip Law) is a sort of master thief, a black spandex wearing, Jaguar E-type driving genius who thrives on stealing money from an unnamed European government – which, at best, is incompetent, at worst, corrupt users of their taxpaying base. Though, unlike Robin Hood, he keeps the oodles of cash for himself and his helpful mini-skirt wearing girlfriend Eva Kant (Marisa Mell).
After each heist, they return with their spoils to what amounts to a posh, underground bat-cave – with playful colours, a spinning two-tiered bed, futuristic showers, a rotating safe, and a cavernous grotto. It is also worth noting that these two are wholly in love – no James Bond style trysts for either.
Fed up with the never before seen Diabolik, the government, including the Minister of the Interior (Terry-Thomas – coming off like a diabolical Commissioner Gordon), Inspector Ginko (Michel Piccoli), the Police Chief (Claudio Gora), and others, decide to reinstate a marshal law type set-up with death penalty included, soon after making a deal with another criminal mastermind, Ralph Valmont (Adolfo Celi – just three years after playing Bond super-villain Largo in Thunderball), to help draw out Diabolik and kill him. Slowly being surrounded, will Diabolik and his dame be able to escape the near constant threats? Might Adolfo Celi finally be able to play a victorious villain? Or will this twisted anti-hero win again?
Though this film draws some obvious comparisons to De Laurentiis’ other production of the same year, Barbarella, it feels much more alive. Packed with layers of dynamic style thanks to the imagination of Mario Bava, the story never stops moving. The pacing and colours are vivid, all while he attempts to frame the shots with very linear shaping (be it with a piece of furniture, helicopter propellers, or other such things), providing the visuals with the feeling of almost being ensconced in its very own comic book style boxing.
Matched with tongue in cheek visuals, it seems like Diabolik will always outwit those out to get him, be it while scaling a turret of a castle or robbing a train containing a giant ingot of gold. . . the man always able to return to the arms of his sensual babe back home. Though every new scene seems all the more ludicrous, it somehow becomes ridiculously more believable, its tone ebbing away our own incredulity as we join along for the silly ride – somehow a possible trebuchet escape from a castle rooftop doesn’t seem so unbelievable in this fantastical psychedelic landscape. It doesn’t hurt that the great composer Ennio Morricone’s score captures every playful nuance of the movie, making it all the more enjoyable.
Not to be taken very seriously, Danger: Diabolik is at its glorious best when it is playing up its gonzo premise. Capturing the right tone of camp fused with an expected dose of sixties silly Bond spoof spy action, frequent sexy sultriness, and a clearly drug-infused imagination, it all makes for a trippy trek where a wink and a nudge are to be expected. Lastly, it is also worth noting that The Beastie Boys spoofed this movie in their music video “Body Movin’”, which actually uses original footage from the picture and has the band take over the roles from the original actors. So, enjoy the diabolical danger of this slice of late 60s cheese, it might come out to be fool’s gold, but it certainly looks good.