First off, let’s avoid some confusion: despite the English title, there are no robots in this film.
Instead, it’s actually about mind control. And while we do hear the term “robot” used, it refers to the mysterious assassins who have been sent after the world’s leaders — and they are clearly human,even if they all have matching heavy-rimmed glasses and a great tan
Eddie Constantine was an American expatriate who appeared as American tough guys in a lot of European films of the era. Considering how comfortable he is here, acting in French, you have to wonder just a little how American he still was. He’s probably best remembered for playing Private Eye Lemmy Caution in Goddard’s Alphaville — or for playing Lemmy in a series of movies before that. Here, he’s playing a tough, retired Interpol agent called back into action to supposedly stop these attacks — although his former bosses actually plan to us him as bait. Throw in the Chinese, who want him to work for them instead, the sinister bearded man who has been following him, the mysterious girl who (he’s told) has been at the scene of all the earlier attacks, countless spies, thugs, a boorish Mexican and a super-secret supervillain lair high atop a cliff and you have a sprightly James Bond parody which gives us eighty minutes of frothy fun.
Which makes it rather surprising that this one was actually directed by Jess Franco, who made countless trashy Euro horror, suspense and crime films, usually with lots of bare flesh and gore, neither of which is in excess supply here.
So what do you know? a fun, lighthearted, entertaining and enjoyably silly little film that was made by Jess Franco. Who’d have thought?
What a pity though, that is it so very, very hard to find these days.
rivets on the poster 