Casus Kiran
(Spy Smasher)
Turkey, 1968
Onar Films
This
is another in the wonderful series of films unearthed and restored by Onar. Turkish films of this genre featured simple (often
unbelievable) plots, loads of action, a larger than life hero and an attractive
girlfriend in tight brief clothing. They were cheap entertainment for the
Turkish cinemas and they were FUN. Spy Smasher is no exception.
The
bad guy The Mask is instigating acts of terror all over the Mediterranean as
part of his plan to destabilise the world. He has kidnapped the Professor to
get his formula (for what? We are never told). Spy Smasher and his girlfriend
must rescue him by beating up the evil henchmen, who all wear black hats for
easy identification in a fight. The Mask gets tired of having his plans for
world domination spoiled by Spy Smasher so he kidnaps the daughter of the only
detective on the Istanbul Police who seems to know who Spy Smasher is. The
daughter, of course, is Spy Smasher’s girlfriend. There is much beating up of
bad guys, the compulsory car chase and boat chase, incredible leaps of
intuition about where the baddies are currently hiding and all the other features
that made these films so enjoyable.
Spy
Smasher looks suspiciously like Iron Claw from an earlier Onar
film, right down to the mask and cape and bad motorbike riding. Why did Turkish
heroes dress up as Batman? The girl’s clothing is even briefer than usual, but
she is thoroughly disguised by a large pair of sunglasses. The boat chase I am
sure is taken directly from Iron Claw the Pirate. Much of the background music
is pirated from western pop charts of the period, like the Ventures tune that
accompanies the chase scenes. The shooting hasn’t improved either – the bad
guys still can’t shoot Spy Smasher at a distance of a few metres. The overall
feel of the film isn’t improved by some of the corniest dialogue I have seen – OK, maybe it just lost a lot in the translation.
Spy
Smasher is a hilarious romp through the Eurospy
genre. Don’t expect quality acting or great characterisation – just a lot of
fun. You even get an A4 copy of the film poster to show your friends where your
tastes lie.
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