Julio Aleman stars as secret agent Alex Dinamo. When we first see him, he’s fighting bad guys who are smuggling drugs inside of bananas! He’s out to stop S.O.S., the “Secret Organizational Service”, a crime syndicate run by Madame Bristol (Sonia Furio) who uses her fashion empire as a front for her arms dealing operations. She holds a bikini convention in a luxurious hotel and Dinamo decides to check it out. When one of the bikini models is murdered, Dinamo sets out to bring Bristol down.
Although Aleman is a bit weak in the lead, the ladies in the cast make this otherwise uneven spy caper watchable. Furio is a solid villainess and even gets to sing a nightclub number in a skimpy evening gown. (There’s another musical number by a rock combo, but it’s hard to hear the music from the horribly canned-in crowd noise.) Sonia Infante is also quite the looker as Dinamo’s sexy girlfriend. We also have Batwoman herself, Maura Monti and Isla (Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia) Vega in the mix as S.O.S. agents.
Like most ‘60s spy flicks, there are plenty of gadgets to go around. There’s a lighter that’s also a camera and cigarette cases, books, cameras, pens, and even high heels that double as guns. Despite that, Dinamo still takes to pressing an old-fashioned stethoscope against a wall to listen to the bad guys in one scene. The fight scenes aren’t bad either as they are full of Judo tosses and karate chops. The highlight is the karate catfight between Monti and Infante.
All the ingredients are there (including a swinging ‘60s score) and the film has a sense of humor, which is appreciated, but for whatever reason, director Rene Cardona, Jr. isn’t quite able to bring all the elements together. The biggest issue with S.O.S. Operation Bikini is the fact that too much of the movie revolves around Dinamo hanging around the resort. Even the weakest spy pictures can get by from showcasing exotic locales, but the film rarely ventures outside the hotel once the plot kicks in. And when it does, most of the time the action still takes place on the grounds of the resort. (There are a couple of rooftop chases.) Cardona lets the camera linger on the one exploding car in the flick for so long that you have to wonder if that’s where the entire budget went. We also get a From Russia with Love-inspired boat chase that serves as the finale. Even this comes up a day late and a dollar (or I guess in this case, peso) short.
Another sign of the measly budget: In one scene I thought I saw a henchman lurking behind a lamp. Turns out it was just a crew member! Also, while there are a fair number of hot women in bikinis for our hero to ogle, there’s not as many as you might expect, given the title. However, if you enjoy your espionage en Espanol, then you may dig it.
Cardona and Aleman returned two years later with a sequel, Danger Girls.
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