HAMMERHEAD

 

HAMMERHEAD (1968) is another of the many James Bond-like spy/adventure films made in the Sixties. This one stars Vince Edwards as Charles Hood, an American who works as a Special Branch operative for England. 

Hood is tasked to infiltrate the organization of a shady character named Hammerhead (Peter Vaughan). The villain's scheme is to kidnap a government figure before an important meeting in Portugal, and replace the official with an impostor. Hood tries to stop the plot, with the unwanted help of a kooky blonde (Judy Geeson). 

The producer of HAMMERHEAD was Irving Allen, and one of the co-writers was a Herbert Baker. Both men were behind the Matt Helm movie series, and they were hoping to start up a Charles Hood series as well. HAMMERHEAD is nowhere near as outlandish (or silly) as the Matt Helm films, but it's not a hard-edged spy thriller either. The movie (directed by David Miller) has a tendency to meander along, and other than a few fistfights, there's not very much action. 

Vince Edwards is okay as Charles Hood, but there's nothing about the role that particularly stands out--Hood doesn't seem to have any special skills (at least he doesn't show any), and he winds up being just another handsome guy in a suit. The villain Hammerhead isn't all that memorable either, other than his quirk of collecting historical examples of pornography. Judy Geeson is by far the best thing in the film. Her youth and vitality brighten the story considerably. 

Like most movies made across the Atlantic in the Sixties, HAMMERHEAD has a lot of British acting talent in the supporting cast, with Diana Dors, Michael Bates, Patrick Cargill, Tracy Reed, Douglas Wilmer, and Kathleen Byron. David (Darth Vader) Prowse plays Hammerhead's main henchman, while Hammer starlet Veronica Carlson has a very, very small role (at least she gets a couple lines of dialogue, and she isn't dubbed). Ironically, Veronica and Prowse would also have tiny roles in another Bond knock-off called CROSSPLOT. Beverly Adams, who had a recurring role in the Matt Helm movies, plays Hammerhead's sultry mistress here. 

HAMMERHEAD tries to act cooler than it really is, with a few psychedelic elements thrown in that seemed forced, and a music score by David Whitaker that veers between imitating John Barry and Burt Bacharach. With so many spy movies and TV shows made during this period, it's no wonder that this one didn't make that much of a stir, or that there were no more adventures with Charles Hood. The most exciting thing in this movie is playing "Spot the cult actor" game during it.