I'm not a fan of the sub-Bond comic strip or the camp Losey film, but this is very good indeed. Though it's bookended by the violent assault on the casino, it's mostly a variation on Sheherezade in the Arabian Nights, spinning out tales to buy time and cool the tension - most action films would be ratcheting the tension up, but this is about mind-games rather than bullets. Staden looks like a porcelain doll, with white skin, red lipstick and black hair - very feminine and yet very strong (you don't need bulging muscles for these martial arts, you need balance and a brain). Her stories of experiences with her two mentors could have been schmaltzy but aren't, partly because of the constant edge of danger in the exotic settings. Good work from a cast of actors and director I've never heard of, and all coming in under 80 minutes. Remarkable all round.
