Konterr Brilliant and touching

Roman Sampson One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Yazmin Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

morrison-dylan-fan Being a fan of auteur film maker Mario Bava,I was absolutely thrilled to get the DVD from a very kind fellow IMDber of Mario Bava's adventure in the Comic-Book genre,and decided to save it for a special event. Doing some major film viewings as ICM held a best of 1968 movie poll,it felt like the perfect time to find out how diabolic things could get.The plot:Aware of the government staging a fake transfer of $10 million in order to distract them,master criminal Diabolik and his partner Eva Kant turn the tables on the law,and steal the real money. As the government approve a return of the death penalty to bring crime down,Diabolik makes the government a laughing stock,by setting off laughing gas at the conference. Deciding they want the same thing,the police and the underworld team up,as Diabolik sets off on a diamond robbery filled with danger.View on the film:Setting the film off like a rocket,the score by Ennio Morricone sends the rocket into space with a Surf Punk score that was ten years ahead of its time, with Morricone's rumbling drums and waves of guitar riffs flying along the superhero caper. Expressing in the commentary how proud he still was of the movie, John Phillip Law gives an energetic performance as Diabolik,with Law giving Danger a devil may care attitude,to outwitting the law at every turn.Shimmering when stepping in her first Comic-Book panel, Marisa Mell gives an enchanting performance as Eva Kant,who along with looking gorgeous in disguises,is also given a quick-wit by Mell,making Kant the perfect partner in crime for Diabolik. Putting his own paint brush on the astonishingly beautiful matte painting,co- writer/cinematographer/directing auteur Mario Bava puts his distinctive bright colour designs into vivid Comic-Book pulp Pop- Art, with limited sets being seamlessly blended to lush matte painting covering the pages of Diabolik's adventure in exploding red,greens blues and yellow. Masterfully using the matte paintings to create Comic-Book panel framing, Bava draws an exciting,adventure atmosphere with high- stylised whip-pans and circling camera moves unmasking the danger of Danger Diabolik.

Gord Jackson "Danger Diabolik" is lot of comic-book hokum definitely NOT for the younger set. A stylish, kaleidoscopic mixture of ridiculous characters, garish sets, inventive action and one-dimensional acting, it's the ultimate guilty pleasure - 'high kitsch', ladled on with a trowel, as the gift that keeps on giving with each subsequent viewing. A psychedelic trip into the amoral sixties, it features John Phillip Law as master criminal Diabolik, a kind of James Bond-gone-rogue who must have anything he wants, any and all costs be damned!For some, the moral and ethical consequences of the mayhem may be troubling. That I can fully understand as I'm not exactly grabbed by them myself. But counter- balancing those concerns, what really carries this silly flight-of-fantasy is the same thing that carried the "Batman" television series - it's overall tongue-in-cheek sense of the ridiculous. The violence may be a little more realistic, Diabolik and his partner-in-crime Eva Kant (Marisa Mell) more likable than the The Joker, Catwoman, The Penguin or Bloefeld from the early Bond films, but the means by which they achieve their ends are little different. It's just that director Mario Bava has managed to have us almost (in spite of ourselves) rooting for them.Backed by a magnificently appropriate score by Ennio Morricone, "Danger Diabolik" is fast paced entertainment of the most supercilious kind, a ton of fun that everyone plays straight-from-the-shoulder. I couldn't have enjoyed it more!

JasparLamarCrabb Impossible to dislike, this slick pop art explosion directed by Mario Bava stars John Phillip Law as a black clad, high tech thief driving inspector Michel Piccoli crazy with his shenanigans. Aided by sexy girlfriend Marisa Mell, Law steals anything he can get his hands on, including a twenty ton pound gold brick! An imaginative and very fun movie with certain limits (like an extensive use of miniatures) that are easily overlooked. Bava keeps things moving at a fast clip and Law is perfect as the icy hero. Piccoli is appropriately befuddled, though his dubbing is not so great. The colorful supporting cast includes Adolfo Celi and Terry-Thomas (hilarious holding two idiotic press conferences). Highlight: Law browbeating information out of Celi while free-falling from an airplane. The kooky score is by none other than Ennio Morricone and it's photographed by Bava's go-to cinematographer Antonio Rinaldi.

lost-in-limbo I had this Mario Bava film sitting amongst my collection gathering dust for far too long, so when I broke it out I was treated with a sublime piece of fun comic-book escapism done in a cheeky and colourful 60s pop-art style. It was my first taste of Bava's work outside of horror.The whimsical material (taken off a comic-strip) is sensationalized in a 'James Bond/Batman' tone, but goes tongue-in-cheek with its bubblegum script and crafty developments. One unpredictable set-piece after another (be it the action or the comedy), I was transfixed by the psychedelic décor, provocatively handsome photography and simply fell in love with Ennio Morricone's playfully tripped-out, free-flowing score. Everything comes together, as the comic pages are brought to life on the screen without any sort of hiccups. Bava's stylish finesse is incredible, as it is a feast for the eyes with such glitzy imagination flourishing. While the sped up pace moves like shot out of a bullet.The recognizable cast do magnificently by living out their characters. John Phillip Law as the master thief Diabolic is stolid, but acceptable and Marisa Mell as his beau frequently radiates. His main nemesis Inspector Ginko is superbly played by Michel Piccoli and a top-rate Adolfo Celi makes lightweight as rival crim king-pin Valmont.A highly entertaining and upbeat Italian/French cult crime caper that plays to type and has become a true inspiration for some latter efforts.