Inter-Pol
The first of Kō Nakahira’s four films for Shaw Brothers, Interpol was a remake of one of the director’s earlier Japanese films, although it would be hard to spot its Japanese origins; the film is almost indistinguishable from every other James Bond ripoff made in the 1960s.
Dashing lothario spy? Check. Random gadgets? Check. Attractive women? Check. Ruthless, stylish villains? Check. Interpol’s biggest deviation from the established formula is the addition of a cowering, girl-shy assistant, Huang Mao (Li Kun).
Interpol exceeds the low bar set by Shaw’s earlier spy efforts (Golden Buddha, Black Falcon) simply by jettisoning star Paul Chang Chung and bringing on Shaw newcomer Tang Ching, who adds a rakish, arrogant charm that the bland Chang could never muster.
The plot does little but fill up time with a story about counterfeiters, a mysterious woman (Margaret Tu Chuan) and a ship full of cars. It never makes much sense, but it never becomes so nonsensical that it gets in the way. Sadly, it squanders several opportunities for exotic travel. Some location shooting in Manila or Tokyo would have helped give the movie some more personality.
1967 was Shaw’s year for spy films, with the studio releasing about a half-dozen Bond-esque films. The fad died quickly; 1968 saw only one or two spy movies. Perhaps if the films were of higher quality, the genre would have stuck around.
Ian Whitney
Published: 2005-05-08