REVIEW: MISTER DYNAMIT-MORGEN KÜSST EUCH DER TOD / SPY TODAY, DIE TOMORROW (1967) Lex Barker as German James Bond

 It was inevitable that after the success of the JERRY COTTON MOVIES, German producers were looking for similar pulp novels to create a successor to the fading Edgar Wallace craze. MISTER DYNAMIT was one of those immensely popular spy series that was published from 1965 on in monthly installments, finally reaching over 300 issues until 1992.

Directly created as a German counterpart to James Bond, this one features Robert Urban, a spy for the German BND. The series was incredibly successful with translations for nearly all European markets and even the US. 

Meanwhile, Lex Barker was looking for a follow-up to his Karl May Westerns that had made him incredibly popular in Europe. In comes Franz-Josef-Gottlieb who also has to accept that his Krimis were not en vogue anymore. Throw in the stunning Maria Perschy and Brad Harris and we get one of the better Eurospy offerings.

A crazed Italian megalomaniac is behind several thefts (a DC-10 jet airliner, a jet plane pilot, a submarine, an oil tanker, and an atomic bomb) and threatens the US government to use it all on New York. As the German BND has more information about this guy they ask the Germans for help and they send in Lex Barker which happens quite late in the movie, and only after he is equipped by Professor Eddie Arent with special weapons. Furthermore, we have Perschy who talks and sleeps with all sides and Amendo Nazarro as Grappa-drinking model railway freak. 

Of course this all happens more or less inside a studio and some dry Spanish landscape, but it is fun for about two thirds until it gets a bit tiresome (but so do some Bond movies too).

This is well shot by Gottlieb who - at that point - had not lost it and the effects are ok. You actually see every Deutschmark spent on the screen, which is nice, and we even get Joachim Fuchsberger in a very small role as MP-officer (credited as "Blacky Wallace")

Lex Barker is very OK with his role which is much more physically demanding. He wears the constant smirk that is the trademark of the character in the novels but makes it look much more ironic. Obviously there were some financial problems and Barker did not like waiting for his money (he sued the producers still on the set in Spain) and refused to act in the already-planned follow-ups although producer Werner did throw an extra shoot of his wife Tita as compensation. Wolfgang Preiss this time is not Dr. Mabuse but the head of the BND as if this would make any difference.

He should not have worried, as Mister Dynamit did not have any chance against the very successful Kommissar X and Jerry Cotton series, sinking with only 400.000 tickets sold in Germany.

The movie has the British title of "Die slowly... you'll enjoy it more" which is a recurring phrase used by Perschy in the movie. The hip and quite experimental score by Gianni Marchetti is available on CD.

A few years ago, archivists at the BND found out that the secret agent organisation actually was actively involved in making this movie as a part of an image campaign. 

The PIDAX DVD offers a very good scan and sound. However this is the "tame" version with some nudity missing...