Attack of the Robots

Strange-looking fellows in black makeup and glasses are assassinating world leaders, all under the influence of mind control. Agent Al Peterson (Eddie Constantine) is recruited to find out who is behind this crazy race of robots. He spends lots of time driving around, digging wild strip acts at nightclubs, and tangling with a hot-to-trot femme fatale (Francoise Baron). This film free-spiritedly satirizes the international spy film craze of the late 1960s, and it's a lot of fun, if taken in the right context. The film suffers from a low-budget, confusing story line, and poor dubbing, but as a 1960s time capsule, it's a "gas." Spanish director Jess Franco has an unusual flair for these things, and what can at first look like a jumbled mess tends to make sense with a second viewing. Constantine is superb as usual in the lead, and his fans should note that this film has more than a few references to Jean-Luc Godard's ALPHAVILLE (1965). French intellectual Jean-Claude Carriere co-scripted with Franco.