Deadly Spygames (1989)

Deadly Spygames (1989). 1h 25m

“My review was written in November 1989 after watching the film on Sell Pictures video cassette.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;Deadly Spygamesu0026quot; is an entertaining spoof of the James Bond pics, with good video prospects domestically and some foreign potential as a theatrical title.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBeginning with the Maurice Binder-esque credits sequence, filmmakers Jack M. Sell and Adrianne Richmond have fun with the familiar format of the Ian Fleming films, but the twist is having the twosome also toplining as ordinary folks in the superspy roles. Sell plays Banner, government spy assigned by CIA agent Troy Donahue to knock out a Cuban radar installation, while Richmond is his assistant and one-time romantic partner.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003ePlot escalates toward a possible World War III as a Soviet general (Bob McDonald) sends agent Karlov (Kathryn Miles) to steal a secret film incriminating his grandson as a mass murderer. She succeeds and Banne has to steal it back from the Soviet computer room at the UN.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003ePic is fun due to its extreme tongue-in-cheek approach, especially noticeable in the frequent, functional use of stock footage whenever the large-scale military operations occur. Only drawback is extensive reliance on a sequence from Sellu0026#39;s previous film u0026quot;Outtakesu0026quot;, in which that picu0026#39;s satire on Santa Claus slasher films is recycled unconvincingly into a supposed documentary film about the generalu0026#39;s son being a killer.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eGuest star Tippi Hedren makes wisecracks as she screens the film for the CIA, but its inappropriateness sticks out.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eActing and tech credits are okay.”