Before he invented a Horror Sub-Genre, he was...doing weird stuff like this. This is Phenomenal and the Treasure of Tutankhamen, a 1969 Action Film (of sorts). This is the first major Directorial credit of Ruggero Deodato. If you don't know, he's the guy behind Cannibal Holocaust, an infamous Film that was once banned in 47 Countries (give or take a few). So how did he get started? Well, unofficially, he got started with a 'Hercules' Film (big muscle men Films were always called 'Hercules' Films in America) by Mario Bava. He apparently did most of the actual work on that one. Officially, his big start is with this Film that appears to be an adaptation of an Italian Comic Book (or Fumetto). As far as I can tell, they just made up this guy. Phenomenal is, well, just a guy in a black jumpsuit that fights criminals. He's basically the stripped down Day 1 version of Batman you sometimes see in Origin Stories (like Batman Begins)…only he never improves on the look/gear. Does he have gadgets? No. Does he have a cool car? Eh, no. The only thing he does have is lots of money and a kicking Soundtrack. Is the draw of early Deodato and a good Soundtrack enough to elevate this by-the-numbers affair? Let's see...
Some criminals discover that their boat is heading back towards shore- as opposed to away from it- and they get confronted by Phenomenal!
His outfit- not so phenomenal.
In spite of that, he theatrically kicks them all, leading into the Credits which touts his history of catching criminals (in Movies that don't exist).
In Paris, a man crashes his bike on a loose manhole cover. It was left open by criminals who were preparing to break into a Museum to steal an Egyptian Mask.
After spending several minutes showing them knocking out Guards and failing to take the Mask, the Film throws in a twist.
They were actually Cops testing the Security!
A gang- led by Gordon Mitchell- plans to get in and steal the Mask, since it is both expensive and possibly the key to some sort of magical power.
The latter is a Plot Point dropped up and never followed up on. Oh well!
While this is going on The Count (who's totally not Phenomenal!) is doing his part, including getting a SECOND fake copy of the Mask. Guess which one Mitchell steals?
In the first of many betrayals, however, he's killed by someone on his side!
The final part of the Film involves the Police (plus the Count- who's not Phenomenal!) following the criminals- who might have the real mask at this point- to Tangiers.
They continue to betray each other, be it shooting them in the dark or blowing up their car.
Lots of random twists and betrayals continue- even involving one guy who was pretending to be paralyzed for no reason!- as the Police finally close in.
The Count shows up during all of this- not suspicious- and Phenomenal gets involved in a random fight with a Guard (which amounts to nothing).
In a Scene that would be recycled in, of all things,
Mitchell, they fly in on a Helicopter to catch them.
As for Phenomenal, he appears in the water as a Henchman and the Love Interest go in after the mask.
Enjoy this still shot from his underwater fight, which is just as easy to see in motion.
With everything wrapped up, they all fly home until they hear a ticking sound...which is just a wind-up toy.
Ha ha- jokes about bombing airplanes. Alright. The End.
This one is pretty meh, but oh well. Deodato would obviously go on to make far more important/better Films. This one is nothing special. There's a bunch of Films like this- most notably ones like
Danger: Diabolik- and this one doesn't really stand out all that much. Like that guy, our Hero doesn't exactly excite the world with his outfit. Unlike that Film, his exploits aren't nearly that interesting. He shows up, kicks sailors and saves the day. He's basically Popeye in an all-black outfit. I guess he's also Batman, given that he's a rich guy, has a Butler named Alfred and fights crime. It's a shame that he doesn't have any of the cool stuff- or at least the car. Chicks dig the car. The real draw here is the Soundtrack. It's by Bruno Nicolai, who worked alot of Ennio Morricone. The locales are nice too, to be fair. You get to see then French President Charles De Gaulle and Rex Harrison (who did not sign waivers to be in the Film). Other than that, the Acting is no real appeal. I guess I'm saying this- check it out if you're into fancy Eurotrash kinds of Films, but mostly just get the Soundtrack on Vinyl. Oh and enjoy Deodatos' hilarious (by his own admission) American name for this one...
Next up, I dig through my pile of random Films for a Review. If you don't know, I don't know. Stay tuned...
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