Verdict
Summary
No. 1 of the Secret Service is very much as advertised: It’s 007-lite, with a very limited budget, little ambition, and not much action, but isn’t that the way of it, though? This first entry is no classic or even much of a cult classic, but if you’re a fan of Bond films then I don’t see why you wouldn’t want to try it out for the thrill of it.
Plot:
A secret agent spoofs his way through his latest assignment.
Review:
British secret service agent Charles Bind (Nicky Henson with a gap between his teeth) gets his latest assignment: Track down and stop an international mastermind, the leader of KRASH (Killing, Rape, Arson, Slaughter, and Hit, played by Richard Todd) who has a cadre of goons on his payroll, including a hulking eye-patch thug (played by Milton Reid from The Spy Who Loved Me, released the same year). What’s the end game? Well, British Intelligence (led by Geoffrey Keen from a slew of 007 films) seems to know and they entrust Bind to do the job, as long as Bind can follow orders, starting with his choice of handgun. He prefers two .357 Magnums, while his boss insists he use a .38 revolver, and Bind also has a very serious problem with molesting and sexually assaulting every single woman he comes across, namely his secretary, whose wardrobe choice is a sheer white blouse with no bra, giving Bind every excuse to get her shirt wet so that she’s forced to change into something else while he watches. Did I mention that Bind is a creep? He’s also incredibly athletic and even while he gets himself beat to a pulp, he never tires and he always bounces back with flips, somersaults, and jumps like a rubber ball. With this guy on the case, the world will stay safe.
From filmmaker Lindsay Shonteff, No. 1 of the Secret Service is very much as advertised: It’s 007-lite, with a very limited budget, little ambition, and not much action, but isn’t that the way of it, though? After the phenomenal success of the Bond films, the imitators came out of the woodwork, with few standing anywhere near as tall and bold as the real thing, but every once in awhile there would be one or two that would at least try to get into the spirit of the Bond films. By casting some of Bond’s cast members, the film does have the vibe, but it just isn’t as ambitious as it could be. It’s lazy and mostly unfunny, and yet Shonteff did several more Charles Bind pictures after this, with diminishing returns. After this one there was Undercover Lover (a.k.a. The Man From S.E.X.) and then more than a decade later there was Number One Gun, each with a different actor playing the title role. This first entry is no classic or even much of a cult classic, but if you’re a fan of Bond films then I don’t see why you wouldn’t want to try it out for the thrill of it.
Kino Lorber’s brand new Blu-ray edition of No. 1 of the Secret Service is part of their “Kino Cult” label (it’s #21 on the spine), and it comes in a decent high definition transfer, with a new audio commentary, an interview, a video essay, deleted scenes, and the trailer.
