Tony Mastroianni Review Collection
"In Like Flint" Fails to Sparkle
Cleveland Press March 27, 1967
"In Like Flint" is a sequel to "Our Man Flint," a movie which spoofed the James Bond films by presenting a man who was a super hero, super spy, super brain, super fighter and super lover.
It was a gimmicky, sometimes funny movie that sputtered out about two-thirds of the way through. Once the set of exaggerations were stated it had no place to go.
Now you would think that with material running thin in a first movie, there wouldn't be enough for a second. You would be right.
BUT MOVIEMAKERS figure the shortest way to success is to imitate success. 'ln Like Flint" is a pretty pale imitation.
Lacking a sufficient number of fresh gags and gimmicks the producers have offered instead girls and more girls.
The peril this time around is that a female organization operating under the front of a beauty resort in the Virgin Islands is about to take control of the world by controlling a nuclear armed satellite.
They accomplish this by substituting an actor for the president of the United States after infiltrating with traitorous men, the top secret organization, ZOWIE, of which Lee J. Cobb is the head.
ZOWIE HEAD COBB suspects something and calls in the intrepid Flint to investigate. Kissing his three mistresses goodbye (he had four in the first movie but he explains that he is cutting down) Flint takes on the woman's organization, the traitors in ZOWIE and Russian agents all singlehanded.
It isn't just the absurdity of the plot, but an inability to do anything with it that makes the movie bog down. Coburn as Flint in particular, but the others to a certain degree, just seem to be sticking with it until the whole unbelievable affair is over.
Cobb has a few more moments of humor, but they include one in which audiences will be embarrassed to watch this fine actor doing a female impersonation.
THE LONG LIST of actresses in the film represent some very lovely women but otherwise their talents are routine.
Statistically it is impossible that any large organization of women could be filled with as many beautiful girls as this one, but that is about the only interesting absurdity about this movie.
