If you ever wondered what an Italian version of a Mexican wrestling movie would look like, then you should check this out. Believe it or not, it almost lives up to that description. Almost.
Masked wrestling champion Superargo (Giovanni Cianfriglia) falls into a deep depression after accidentally killing an opponent in the ring. His good pal is the head of the Secret Service, and he knows if anything can snap Superargo out of a funk, it’s saving the world from a dastardly villain. In this case, it’s the evil Diabolicus (Gerard Tichy) who has found the “philosopher’s stone” that can change base metals into gold. His plan is one of those Goldfinger numbers where he’s going to fuck up the price of gold in the world market. It’s then up to Superargo to get his shit together and stop him.
Like the El Santo movies, there are touches of the James Bond films here, although they are much more overt. (Superargo gets a sports car filled with gadgets.) As with even the legit Bond movies, things bog down during the longish underwater scenes, but not so much that it derails the fun.
Besides, there is plenty of silliness here for any dyed in the wool fan of B movie cinema to enjoy. The scenes of Superargo showing off his strength in a lab feel like a precursor to the Six Million Dollar Man. The stuff with masked wrestlers kicking the crap out of and/or ruthlessly gunning down hapless henchmen are a lot of fun too, and the trippy opening credits sequence is memorable.
Superargo’s boss gets the best line when he warns our hero about one of his gadgets,” Don’t eat it! That olive cost a thousand dollars!”
Followed by Superargo and the Faceless Giants.
AKA: Superargo vs. Diabolicus. AKA: Superargo Against Dr. Diabolo. AKA: Superargo.
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