Secret Agent Super Dragon (1966) Poster

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4/10
Extremely dull
gridoon20241 January 2008
Although it is executed with a certain degree of professionalism, and has some interesting touches here and there (like a bulletproof vest that reflects the bullet and sends it back to the sender!), "New York Calling Superdragon" is defeated by its sheer dullness. Not much happens throughout the film: there are no major set-pieces and little excitement. Nearly all of the action is limited to fistfights, unless you count the explosion of an obvious miniature building at the end. Ray Danton is an agreeable cut-rate Bond (and although others here have found him unlikable, I thought he was more respectful to the ladies than the real Bond); Margaret Lee and Marisa Mell are both sexy, but largely used for decorative purposes only; the villains are as forgettable as the rest of the film. (*1/2)
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4/10
Not that bad
ericstevenson19 July 2016
While certainly a bad film, it could have been much worse. The entire movie is mostly just nothing but spy clichés and it's pretty easy to tell that this was made around the same time as the original Sean Connery James Bond movies. The plot's not that good, with the title spy investigating a woman's death and finding out it was a poison made by a supervillain. There really is very little to distinguish this from a Bond movie. It's mostly a ripoff. There are in fact a few good lines here and there. I really did like it when he said, "Call me an idiot" (or something like that) and he just says, "You're an idiot".

I guess it's kind of hard to judge this because according to this website, it has a longer running time than the actual MST3K episode it was featured. I'm not going to waste my time tracking the original version down. I got all I wanted from this movie. The colors were bad, although some of the sets seemed off at time. There's a little good action, but for the most part it's quite boring. I guess it's around this time we tried to put intentional jokes in non comedies.
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4/10
Spaghetti Spy
editguy14 February 2006
Super Dragon? What kinda spy name is that?

This is one of the better spy movie send-ups, especially because it takes itself completely seriously. The Dragon is remarkably smooth and smug, and his lumpy, cheerful sidekick Babyface is along to help solve the mysteries of dead colleagues, toxic gum and villains who can't stop decorating. Our Hero is worldly ("Fremont, Michigan? That's a little college town, isn't it?") but accident-prone -- he'll stay away from Ludenkelder after this assignment. This movie is colorless as spy movies go, except for the wild colorings in the ladies' hair. ("Betcha that color comes out of a bottle," one character grumps.) Worth getting the MST3K-ized version of this film, especially for musical interlude provided by Joel and the 'bots.

Unlike such efforts as Code Name: Diamond Head, this movie actually has some decent locations, including a panorama of foggy windmills that looks like a "starving artists" painting.

Be sure to check out Mario Cuomo (well, it sure looks like him) as the art collector with a collection of pen-phones and unlisted numbers. Take my word for it!
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2/10
Smuggest agent super dragging
Torgo_Approves5 April 2006
All straight criminals beware when Bryan Cooper, alias Super Dragon, comes out of his early retirement to battle evil once again. Our bland villain has killed off one of Bryan's mates and now plans to spread a chemical in people's drinks that will turn them into senseless maniacs (as if ordinary booze isn't good enough at that)!

Ray Danton's pathetic job at playing our smug, unlikeable hero is amazing, right up there with Peter Mark Richman in Agent for H.A.R.M. How should I describe Mr. Danton? Think George Clooney, then remove what little personality he has and erase From Dusk till Dawn from his merits list. That's how bad Ray Danton is.

This movie is a typically bland, dragging Bond rip off which is so unbelievably dull, not even some hot 60's girls help much. I counted two action scenes in the entire movie and the soundtrack was so bad it made the jazz Muzak from 'Manos' seem like Mozart. You will want to miss this one - the only entertaining part of SASD is its hilarious title.(r#9)
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3/10
Secret Agent Super Dragon...sounds like a cool, kick ass, spy movie!!!
Aaron137525 March 2008
Well it is not. Anything but, as this is another in a long line of Bond knock offs where they get a smug spy and think that is enough. Saw this one on Mystery Science Theater 3000 as they did a number of these James Bond Wannabe films during their run on the air. The agent in his one at least goes to Holland whereas the agent in Agent From H.A.R.M virtually stayed at the same beach house for most of his flick, but he did more in the way of action than Secret Agent Super Dragon did! A few clunky fight scenes and a tepid shoot out or two is all we get. Both pale in comparison to that film where they got Sean Connery's brother to play the agent as that film went to multiple locations and had better action which is sad, because in that film he was not even a true agent, but a plastic surgeon! Then there was the agent from Danger, Death Ray and that too had more action, but used ridiculous miniatures which looked pretty much like a kid's toys! This one did manage a couple of humorous scenes and the setting of Holland was different, they just needed their super agent to do a bit more than rummage through hotel rooms and such.

The story has people in a small town in America going berserk and no one knows why. So in comes, Secret Agent Super Dragon...though he is not really all that motivated to take the case. Seems he is retired, but the death of a fellow agent sends him on the trail. He partners up with a guy who is apparently some sort of mob boss and they soon make their way to Holland after discovering that the means of distributing a drug that causes bizarre behavior is hidden in chewing gum. Soon Dragon makes his way to a posh party after a few run ins with some thugs and learns the terrible secret the villain of the piece has in store for the world!

This made for a funny episode of MST3K, as did all the spy films they riffed on. None of them were too terribly horrible, but they all had flaws that stopped them from being anything that was remotely a good film. The Holland setting made for some good jokes as did the fact that the agent of the piece really did not do all that much in the way of action. They were also dead on when they would say that the villain of the piece did not make much of an impression at all. I did love the joke where the villain takes the poison and they riffed Secret Agent Super Dragon kind of smugly getting the last word in right before he died.

So, this one had some good in it despite not being all that great. The Holland setting was interesting, a few good jokes here and there and at least it wrapped up nicely. They just needed to have a few more action pieces in this one, they did not have a single chase scene in the film that I could tell. What spy film does not have a super cool chase sequence? Even the Agent From H.A.R.M managed to get on a motorcycle and try to stop a plane and the guy in Danger, Death Ray had a chase, albeit slow and involving toy cars. The fights they did manage here looked poorly choreographed too, not anything that really gets the excitement up, and just what was the deal with Super Dragon rolling the guy up in the carpet? Seriously, he couldn't find a better way to hide the unconscious body than that?
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2/10
Best to keep it secret
InzyWimzy29 March 2004
Firstly, after seeing Secret Agent Super Dragon, I now pronounce Danger Death Ray! king of all B spy movies. This one hurts so much that I can remember one character in this film named the Joker and I don't even know who that was!! Although our secret agent spy is suave with the ladies, that's most of the action you will see. I can only recall that there are less than 10 gunshots fired – TOTAL! Man, that's what I call a really lame spy thriller. Instead, our spy and his Q wannabe trade witty banter and drop lots of corny one liners. Oh, and the super drug that cannot be traced or detected? The DEA's worse nightmare. And the drug's results in people laughing hysterically, acting crazy and chaotic and violence? Yes, we as a society have all heard of alcohol. Add a secret villain society and a weird ‘W' membership ritual and "super" is the LAST word you'd use to describe this. As exciting as counting needles in a field of haystacks.
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Better than you've been led to believe
vjetorix6 November 2002
Secret Agent Super Dragon has become a touchstone of Bondian spoofs thanks to wide availability on the gray market and the misguided shenanigans of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Those who actually watch this movie will find, much to their surprise, that it is a competent and fairly serious exercise compared to many of its genre kindred. Admittedly there is enough cheapness and silliness to keep the viewer from thinking too highly of it but it won't disappoint entirely.
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1/10
One Goofy Movie!
Ateron16 February 1999
It's hard to think of a more goofy film with a more goofy premise than "Secret Agent Super Dragon". Apparently, a terrorist mastermind and his henchman have been lacing bubblegum with a substance that makes you act stupid. Evil isn't it? Of course the only one who can save the world is Secret Agent Super Dragon: a greasy, deep-throated "tall guy" that should have been called Secret Agent Super Sportjacket. While dispatching villains in absolutely ridiculous methods (karate chops), he manages to bed plenty of women with fake eyebrows and fake hair color. The dubbing is atrocious along with just about everything else in this movie. The highlight is a sequence in which the Super Dragon is sunk in a wooden coffin and is suddenly saved by inflatable rubber bags - which should have kept him from sinking in the first place! Also, the sets in Holland are hilarious looking; imagine walking through the garden section of a local Walmart. Be sure to watch the MST3K version of this pathetic mess.
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4/10
Bowling, basketball, and babes
JohnSeal7 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This review is based on a decent dub of a fullframe English-language print with Greek subtitles. Ray Danton makes for a passable if fairly bland Bondalike in this Eurospy entry, which features Super Agent Superdragon doing battle with evil genius Fernand 'don't call me Fernando' Lamas (Carlo D'Angelo). Ably assisting him are beautiful undercover agents Comfort (Margaret Lee) and Charity (Marissa Mell), who tells Superdragon he'll have to assume she's a genuine redhead--for now. Also helping out is gadget expert Babyface, played for comic relief by heavyset Jess Hahn, a few years away from playing opposite Marlon Brando in the kinky kidnap drama Night of the Following Day. Some of the highlights include a scene in a bowling alley (did they have bowling alleys in '60s Europe, or was it a set?), a high school girls basketball practice that descends into a catfight, and some picturesque location footage which probably looks more impressive in the film's original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. A pretty run of the mill genre entry with a decent cast but not much story.
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4/10
Compared to Bond, this is actually "Super Lame Super Dragon"
lemon_magic9 December 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Let's face it, the James Bond franchise has been a cash cow for decades and decades, so it's only natural that people who would never get past Albert Broccoli's receptionist would want to make their own version of the character and get in on some of the money, er, fun. The results can be wildly variable. Movies like "Our Man Flint" is at the top of the pile, and stuff like Dean Martin's versions of the "Matt Helm" novels are near the very bottom. Films like "Agent For H.A.R.M." are at the absolute nadir, movies that make you want to punish Ian Fleming for ever starting the modern version of the escapist spy thriller in the first place.

Judged this way, the version of "Secret Agent Super Dragon" I saw, with English dubbing and razzed in the foreground by the Mystery Science 3000 crew, falls somewhere in the middle.(Unlike some purists, I believe that you can judge a film fairly if you see the MST3K version. I always find them amusing, but I can still give a film a fair chance in spite of the heckling from the robots).

The best thing SASD has going for it is the lead actor, who is so incredibly suave and Continental that you can almost overlook his preening smugness. Almost. In order to make the character more exotic and interesting, the screenwriters fall all over themselves to give him unusual talents, especially "yogic control" over his breath and metabolism. Of course, that's one of the ways you can tell a second rate, wanna-be spy screenplay - Bond (especially the Connery Bond) didn't have or need no stinking exotic talents. He was just ultimately cool, tough, and ruthless.

Still "Cooper" is pretty good, if somewhat bland, and he can almost carry the movie. What sinks it, in the end, is the awkward English dubbing (I'm sure the dialog sounded less contrived in its original language) and the unconvincing plot, along with less-than thrilling action sequences and florid, uninvolving costumes and locations. (Except for the windmills...those were kind of cool.)

I'd watch any of the Bond films (even the lamer Roger Moore ones) a dozen times before I'd watch "SASD" again. Still, as a standalone spy film, this is nice, if tame, fun. OTOH, if you're going to compete with the Bond franchise, you'd better bring something really good to the party (like James Coburn) or you are a bound to look pretty lame in comparison. Trying to compete with Broccoli's brand without having the firepower to back their play costs them at least two stars. So: 4 out of 10.
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3/10
Italian Stallion on a sliding scale-
brians-403819 February 2019
As a young James Bond fan, if I had seen this one in the theater it likely would have rated a 5 just for the goofy gadgets! 53 years later, it's almost as difficult to watch as today's main stream, self-absorbed fluff and high tech digital cartoons. Like so many other films, this one is best served with a generous helping of MST3K.
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6/10
Marisa Mell and Margaret Lee would give any Bond girl a run for her money.
bensonmum228 August 2007
I'll keep the plot synopsis short and sweet. Most of Secret Agent Super Dragon was so unnecessarily confusing that little of the plot seemed to matter anyway. In this James Bond wannabe, CIA agent Super Dragon (Ray Danton) goes up against a Venezuelan drug lord who uses candy to distribute his merchandise. Anything else beyond that wouldn't be much more than speculation as I found myself completely in the dark during much of the movie. I'm not one who needs to be spoon-fed plot points, but how about making what's going on just a little clearer? Too much of the movie seemed like a series of unrelated set pieces that didn't fit together.

But the biggest problem with Secret Agent Super Dragon is the same thing that plagues a lot of these James Bond inspired films - money. The James Bond movies had the financial backing to pull it off. These Italian movies like Secret Agent Super Dragon can't match that kind of money. As a result, they suffer from weak scripts and acting, a lack of interesting multiple locations, poor special effects, a very anti-climatic ending, and anything else you can spend money on to make a movie better.

That's not to say the movie was a total waste. In fact, I enjoyed quite a bit of it. Danton is above average in the title role. He's slick and clever - just what you would expect from a secret agent. Marisa Mell and Margaret Lee would give any Bond girl a run fir her money. Finally, there is a sense of fun about the movie that I liked a lot. Those behind the movie were smart enough to never take it too seriously. As a result, the movie's light, almost bubbly, feeling is an asset.
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5/10
Secret agent super draggin'
melvelvit-116 August 2014
Secret agent Bryan Cooper (aka Super Dragon) is called out of retirement to investigate mass hysteria in Fremont, Michigan where college students are committing murder and mayhem en masse. He figures out that it's got something to do with chewing gum being handed out in a local bowling alley and he traces the source to Europe where, with the help of a gangster (a dead ringer for Andy Devine) sprung from Sing Sing to give him a hand, he contacts "our man in Amsterdam", Charity Farrell (luscious Marisa Mell), and together they discover an Ernst Blofeld-type megalomaniac hellbent on, what else, world domination...

Robotic Ray Danton, with his black patent leather hair and flinty onyx orbs that make him look positively reptilian, was at his best playing slimy bastards and the role of a smarmy, quick-thinking government agent doesn't suit him. He does his own stunts (as threadbare as they are) with all the agility of a mechanical bear and since he's an unlikely babe magnet, Ray's feminine conquests are as absurd as the plot. Amsterdam locations and a bit of tacky flair here and there can't elevate this James Bond rip-off any higher than sub-par but Marisa Mell, here "by special arrangement" according to the opening credits, ups the pulchritude ante as does sexy British starlet Margaret Lee (looking a bit like Diana Dors) as Cooper's Miss Moneypenny-ish "old reliable". Unless you're as fond of the dramatis personae as I am, find something better to do with your time but, that said, there's an MST3K version out there and I'll bet it's a blast.
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Secret Agent Stupid Dragon
quamp13 July 2002
This is the kind of movie, like Diabolik, that the French would find funny, but everyone else in the world would think is incredibly DUMB. Man, there sure were a lot of James Bond clones in the late 1960's, and finding them is really a crap shoot. On this one, chances are you'll not like it. A joint project among four countries (and a nice rule of thumb is the more countries involved, the worse the film.) by Monaco, France, West Germany and Italy, the film features none of those countries, but was filmed in the Netherlands. (I can't say I blame these countries for not wanting their country in the film.) Secret Agent Super Dragon himself reminds me of one of those perfect jocks who always got his way in school and nobody would even think of being against. I ended up hating him, and the film. Perhaps if he was more imperfect and human, we could root for him.
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4/10
Sub Bond slog
Leofwine_draca6 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Italy made a lot of these Bond knock-offs during the 1960s so it's easy for an individual film to get lost amid the glut of similar pictures and that's the case with SECRET AGENT, SUPER DRAGON. Ray Danton plays an utterly boring Bond impersonator who travels to Holland to track down the usual drug smuggling ring. The emphasis is on Euro crumpet, of which there's a lot, alongside cult star Jess Hahn in support. Most unforgivably there's a real dearth of action making this rather a slog to sit through.
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2/10
Rough
BandSAboutMovies21 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Just when you thought we couldn't all get along, the French, German and Italians all got together and made a James Bond ripoff. That should warm your heart.

Directed by Giorgio Ferroni (Mill of the Stone Women) - using the amazing fake name Calvin Jackson Padget - this Amsterdam-shot caper played double bills with another movie that brought together people of many countries - in this case Britain, Yugoslavia, Italy and the U.S. - The One Eyed Soldiers.

Secret Agent Super Dragon (Ray Danton, who played George Raft in The George Raft Story, was Sandokan in that series of movies, was married to Julie Adams and appeared in other spy movies like Code Name: Jaguar, the Jess Franco-directed Lucky, the Inscrutable and the Derek Flint TV pilot - whew!) is after the men who killed his partner and are now stuffing drugs into vases.

That's pretty much it, but luckily, Marisa Mell shows up as Charity Farrel. Mell was typecast in her career as a femme fatale, but perhaps she earned that, what with her dating Pier Luigi Torri, a playboy who became one of the most wanted fugitives in the world and got her name all over the tabloids. She's probably best known for being in Danger: Diabolik, which is a much better spy movie than this.

Speaking of spy girls, Margaret Lee is also in this. Beyond starring in twelve movies with Klaus Kinski and living to tell the story, Margaret was also in Our Agent Tiger, Agent 077: From the Orient with Fury, Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die and Our Man in Marrakesh. The more depraved amongst my dear readers - like me - will recognize her from Slaughter Hotel and Venus In Furs. And yes, that's Fräulein Greta from Deported Women of the SS Special Section (and Patrizia from Strip Nude for Your Killer), actress Solvi Stubing in this as well.
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5/10
slow moving spy film....
ksf-27 March 2019
Italian film, but dubbed into english. it starts so S-L-O-W.... chick in pink dress talks to guy near the pool. After he throws her in, he hears about a dead agent, and must go investigate. American Ray Danton is "the Dragon", investingating poisoned gum or something. this has a mix of american, italian, and british actors. according to imdb, this was filmed in netherlands. editing and sound quality are pretty lame. we can see why mystery science theater did a parody of this in one of their episodes. moves at a snail's pace. and there's just barely an outline of a plot to follow here. Snore-A-rama. probably some of it was lost in translation. or maybe not. a whopping five writers came up with the screenplay... maybe that was too many. or maybe not enough. Directed by italian director Giorgio Ferroni. not a lot of info on him in wikipedia. apparently he was known for his gladiator and sandal films.
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Sleepy Holland
lee_eisenberg11 November 2011
Yes, it's another B spy thriller from the '60s, nowadays known for appearing on "Mystery Science Theater 3000". "New York chiama Superdrago" ("Secret Agent Super Dragon" in English) has what you might expect in one of these flicks -- hot babes and a lot of fighting -- but the plot is just weird: the title character (Ray Danton) investigates a plot to smuggle drugs in vases from Amsterdam. Seriously, it involves drugged chewing gum!

As can be expected, Joel, Servo and Crow had fun with this flick. They found the time to mention J. Edgar Hoover*, Audrey Hepburn and Edie Adams. Pretty fun stuff.

*I wonder if Leonardo DiCaprio looks, um, flamboyant as the FBI director in Clint Eastwood's new movie.
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