"You wouldn't put a bullet through your own head, would you?"

ShadeGrenade

'The Spy With My Face' was the second of eight feature films compiled from episodes of 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' series, and the last to be formed using a single episode extended by specially shot footage. The original was titled 'The Double Affair'. Subsequent features would be based on two-part stories.

It opens in Australia, where Napoleon Solo ( Robert Vaughn ) accompanies fellow U.N.C.L.E. agent Kitt Kittridge ( Donald Harron ) on a mission to destroy a THRUSH stronghold. They are successful; but THRUSH are secretly watching their every move. They have created a double for Solo, but before they can use him try to murder the one man closest to the agent - Illya Kuryakin ( David McCallum ). Illya is leaving Del Floria's one evening when two toy robots with swivelling eyes glide towards him, and open fire. The Russian shoots one, and deactivates the other. "I think someone's sending their Christmas presents a little early this year!", he quips.

Solo is dining with his current-girlfriend, air stewardess Sandy ( Sharon Farrell ) when he receives a call from Serena ( Senta Berger ), a THRUSH agent claiming to have knowledge of 'The August Affair'. Back at her flat, they make love, then she gasses him, and the double takes over.

The fake Solo is assigned to travel to Austria - along with Illya and two other U.N.C.L.E. agents - with the combination to open an underground vault containing a deadly new form of radiation, to be used only in the event of Earth being assaulted by creatures from outer space. THRUSH intends to use it to conquer the world...

Like all the U.N.C.L.E. films, this one charmingly betrays its origins as a television product. However, such was the show's popularity at the time that audiences did not care, and lapped up each new one as it was released. The films were shown on I.T.V. in the '70's, and a decade later the B.B.C. screened them in two bumper seasons in 1982/83.

As both Solo and his impostor, Robert Vaughn is excellent, providing a nice contrast between the real man from U.N.C.L.E. and his arrogant counterpart. McCallum here shows why the character of Illya developed a following of his own. Next to Patrick McGoohan's 'John Drake', he was the coolest spy on television at that time. Senta Berger provides glamour as 'Serena', a task she also performed on the movies 'The Quiller Memorandum' and 'The Ambushers'. Donald Harron's 'Kitt Kittridge' is extremely likable. Asked by Mr.Waverly if his beard is real, he says: "Its fake. The real one is in my pocket!". The U.N.C.L.E. boss is not amused. The Director of 'Project: Earthsave' is a woman ( Paula Raymond ). U.N.C.L.E. sexist? Never!

No big set-pieces of the Bond variety as such, but the opening gun battle, briefcase-switching scene on the plane and motorbike chase and subsequent fight are some compensation. Michael Evans is fun as THRUSH villain 'Darius Two' ( so what happened to Darius One? ), delivering his lines in a manner which put me in mind of Rex Harrison. Catching a guard spying on Solo's romantic tryst in a cell, he orders him from the scene with "Go away, you filthy pervert!", before peering through the door himself!

( One thing I wish they had done with the movies was create new titles, rather than slow down footage and impose the credits over it. 'Face' suffers especially badly, as when the footage returns to normal speed Solo and Kittridge look like something out of Mack Sennett. )

score 9/10

ShadeGrenade 10 June 2009

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2078992/