INTERNATIONAL SECRET POLICE: KEY OF KEYS is a 1965 Toho Japanese spy caper. originally titled KOKUSAI HIMITSU KEISATSU: KAGI NO KAGI. It is best known for most of its scenes being re-edited and re-dubbed and used in Woody Allen's spoof WHAT'S UP, TIGER LILY?
I recently found out from the Cinema Savant website that the original uncut version of KEY OF KEYS is available on the Internet Archive, in the proper widescreen format, and with English subtitles, no less. (It was on the Internet Archive that I found another entry in the International Secret Police series: THE KILLING BOTTLE, which starred Kumi Mizuno and Nick Adams, and which I wrote a blog post on a couple years ago.)
KEY OF KEYS once again features series regular Tatsuya Mihashi as Agent Kitani, and once again, he's involved with goings-on in a fictional country. The monarchy which rules the Asian nation of Tonwan is being threatened by a group of revolutionaries, and the country's intelligence chief convinces Kitani to help their cause. Kitani, a Tonwan agent (Akiko Wakabayashi) and a sultry crook (Mie Hama) are assigned to crack the safe of Gegen, a rebel leader who is holding $10 million in funds for combat activities. Kitani and his two lovely associates are aided by a gang chieftain who is angry that Gegen is encroaching on his turf--the rebel leader raises cash by running a casino/bordello in the bowels of what appears to be an ordinary freighter ship. Kitani and his crew break into the safe, only to find a single piece of paper which contains a code--the "Key of Keys"--which explains how the $10 million can be obtained. As expected, the gangster double-crosses Kitani, and the agent has to go up against two rival factions.
The International Secret Police movies were certainly inspired by the James Bond franchise, but they have a more lighthearted and easy-going vibe to them. Tatsuya Mihashi's Kitani tries to be a ladies man, but the big running gag here is that he's never able to score. Mihashi is a likable, if lightweight hero, although most of the time he comes off as an amiable goofball instead of an expert in espionage and intrigue.
The main reason cult movie geeks will want to watch KEY OF KEYS is due to the two leading ladies: Akiko Wakabayashi and Mie Hama. Both ladies were Toho Kaiju veterans by this time, and they would both appear in the James Bond film YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (one has to guess that someone on the Bond production team viewed KEY OF KEYS). The two bring a lot of glamour and pizzazz to the story.
KEY OF KEYS is a decent. well-made adventure tale, but it's not on the expansive (or expensive) level of the 007 series. There's not all that much action, but there is a flash of nudity, and Agent Kitani is literally beaten in the face with a rubber hose at one point. The humor isn't too ridiculous, but the subplot of the revolutionaries (who happen to be a minority group) gets lost in the shuffle.
Those who enjoy Eurospy flicks and James Bond knockoffs will appreciate KEY OF KEYS. It's not a movie that will blow you away, but it is above-average entertainment.
*A note about the photo used in this blog post. Kumi Mizuno does not appear in KEY OF KEYS, but footage of her from another International Secret Police film, A KEG OF POWDER, was also used in WHAT'S UP, TIGER LILY? Besides, I couldn't pass up using such a great picture of three Toho Kaiju queens.
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