User reviews

MASTER PLAN: obtain the info on some secret papers. By this point in the late sixties, some filmmakers were getting a little carried away with all the psychedelia and decadence of the decade, including a few who jumped on the James Bond bandwagon. The first scenes seem to say that the director & his crew were dropping acid during the filming, though it turns out to be some bizarre performance art depiction. We're also introduced to Mr. Hood here (Edwards), the secret agent of the story, looking on bemused. He fits the profile - an American but working well within the British & other European locales as a handsome man of adventure. He's not all that impressive, however: though able to handle himself well in a fight, he does get knocked out a couple of times quite easily (one of these fights, in a dark garage, recalls a similar scene in "Deadlier Than the Male" of the previous year). As the very British girl who keeps popping up unexpectedly throughout the movie, Judy Geeson is an acquired taste and can be a bit annoying; I didn't blame Hood for wincing the 3rd time she reappears. I also kept thinking, what is she doing in this movie? This sense didn't change much for me by the end of the film. Much of the action at the forefront of this film takes place against the backdrop of the youthful generation doing their thing during those swinging sixties.

The plot involves the machinations of the very Bondian uber-villain Hammerhead (Vaughan), complete with peculiar eccentricities, such as white gloves to keep the germs away and especially sadistic tendencies towards females. The actress Adams plays the more interesting female character, in a brief role. Oh, and, to make sure we understand that this bad guy is a sleaze, he also has interests in pornography. His dastardly plans are hinted at during Hood's briefing in a train cabin; there will be a special meeting of top men from NATO nations and one of these men has papers that Hammerhead wants a gander at, involving defense plans. This offers a good dual role for versatile actor Bates, who plays the target and one of Hammerhead's key henchmen. The film meanders a bit in the first half, even with the intriguing scenes on the villain's huge yacht, with everything moving at an easygoing pace, as if the filmmakers were unsure of themselves or the story. But, it does all come together in the final half-hour, when the details of the villain's subterfuge are played out (though why Hood and his girl aren't simply shot instead of that protracted scene in the coffin...never mind). Watch for Dave Prowse, soon to be in "A Clockwork Orange" and future Darth Vader, as the huge henchman - the strongest man Hammerhead knows. The climactic action, especially the unexpected end of the villain, will either irritate or enthrall you, depending on how much you like darkly ironic, satirical endings. I thought it was a bit out of left field. Hero:5 Villains:5 Femme Fatales:5 Henchmen:6 Fights:6 Stunts/Chases:5 Gadgets:4 Auto:5 Locations:6 Pace:5 overall:5+

Hammerhead is a strange mixture, blending a determination to be bang up-to-the-minute with the trends of 1967/68 with a routine espionage story. A series of bizarre 'Happenings' and weird performance art, together with Judy Geeson's groovy young thing, the latter the highlight of the movie for me, hardly fail to disguise the kind of plot that had been churned out ad infinitum on TV. Vince Edwards is perhaps best described as adequate in the lead; he's OK but not particularly memorable. Peter Vaughan was born to play a super-villain, but his Hammerhead must have been on the screen for all of ten minutes. He doesn't even get to fight the hero and his demise is pretty nondescript. Neither William Mervyn nor Patrick Cargill, excellent character players both, are seen at their best, though Diana Dors is in her element as the proprietor of a dubious nightclub. The finale with Michael Bates in a dual role tends to drag on.

The governmental powers that be are concerned that a man known as Hammerhead (Peter Vaughn) will try to steal NATO secrets at an upcoming meeting. They also know that Hammerhead is an avid collector of pornography. To learn more about his plans and to get close to him, Agent Charles Hood (Vince Edwards) poses as a dealer with a large collection for sale. Complicating matters for Hood, he's picked up something of a hanger-on in the form of swinging Sue Trenton (Judy Geeson).

Hammerhead is another of those movie that I really wanted to love. It's not that the whole movie is a complete waste, but it only comes close to fulfilling its promise in the final 30 minutes. The ending is really enjoyable, fast-paced, and exciting. The chase scenes through the crowded Lisbon (I'm assuming it was Lisbon) streets is nicely filmed. Had the whole thing been that entertaining, Hammerhead might have launched another spy series. Unfortunately, Hammerhead is a 90+ minute movie. You have to sit through 60 lifeless, boring minutes to get to the good stuff. There are a couple of problems I'll cite. First, the plot is unnecessarily muddy at the beginning of the film. I'm guessing the filmmakers wanted to save a surprise or two, but how about giving the viewer a clue as to what's going on? Second, Vince Edwards might have been a decent enough actor, but he's not my image of a secret agent. His Hood is just too dull to pull off the lead.

Despite the flaws, overall, I enjoyed Hammerhead. Other than the exciting third act I've already written about, there are a couple of performances worth mentioning. Vaughn makes a wonderful villain. Like all good baddies, he's ruthless when he has a henchman or two around, but turns coward when he's alone. I also got a kick out of the white glove idiosyncrasy. Nice touch. Unlike some other comments I've read on Hammerhead, I really enjoyed Judy Geeson's performance. Yeah, she's annoying at times, but she's meant to be. Her character gives the film a nice 60s vibe that always appeals to me.

Like the first commenter, I discovered "Hammerhead" via the score LP in the 1970s. CBS-TV in the US used to show a heavily-edited version regularly; later, an uncut print was seen locally. (It was also spotted on cable during the 1980s.) It's a neat movie, with some good chase scenes (one involving a large hearse). The "Chelsea Happening" music accompanies an interesting performance-art show that was typical of the era. Judy Geeson's character manages to be both kooky and sexy as she and Vince Edwards scoot all over Europe in search of Hammerhead.

Note: the music on the LP is a different recording from that in the movie; the arrangements are, however, pretty much identical. The score rather predictably conforms to visual action: for example, those five rhythmic "hits" near the end of "Villa Fight" are cut to Charles Hood slamming a car door on someone's hand! This actually bolsters the charm of this picture.

Any chance to see "Hammerhead" should be seized upon!!

For years I thought Victor Mature was the most uncharismatic, untalented actor to have ever managed to succeed in Hollywood, but now, ladies and gents, I stand corrected. That dishonor must go to the, er, "star" of Hammerhead, Mr Vince Edwards. In short, he's an utter bore. As is the movie. But my God, is he dreadful. His face is like a catcher's mitt, just expressionless throughout the whole movie. His voice is one note of droning monotony and as for his physical presence, well, I suspect most of the action was performed by a double as they consisted mostly of suspicious close ups of legs and arms being thrust in the direction of bad guys without ol' Vince's hammerface in the shot.

Won't bother with the plot, critique the direction or soundtrack ... sufficed to say it all pretty much stinks.

I'm a massive spy movie fan - seen 'em all pretty much - especially the 60s adventure ones, and I must say this movie is easily one of the worst. Even the mostly incomprehensible Italian stuff of the same era is a lot more fun and watchable than this rubbish.

The only good thing from Hammerhead are the girls. Plenty of them and all pretty.

I think with a bit better script, this could have been a pretty good spy film. As it is, I can see why Vince Edwards never went on to be the next Bond!

Edwards plays Charles Hood--an international man of adventure who is called upon to, what else, save the world from a baddie. The big difference is that Mr. Hammerhead is also a pervert with a taste for good old fashioned. The problem is exactly WHAT Hammerhead's plan is going to be is anyone's guess and through the course of the film, Hood puts the pieces together but almost gets killed in the process. Along the way, he's teamed up with one of the most annoying women in spy film history, a kooky idiot named Sue (Judy Geeson).

So why wasn't I thrilled with this film? The biggest reason was Geeson's character who was just annoying and made little sense. Additionally, nothing about the movie otherwise is outstanding--not Edwards, the script or the direction. The only standout, really, is the nice Portuguese location for the shoot.

American agent Charles Hood needs to stop international criminal Hammerhead from stealing a secret report on nuclear defense. British production has cheeky asides and a bouncy score from David Whitaker--as well as a curious obsession with erotic art!--but is so mild it barely makes an impression. Adaptation of the spy novel by James Mayo (aka Stephen Coulter) opens with a garish hippie happening in London that is liable to scare away the film's target audience. In the lead, Vince Edwards seems a little sheepish; he fills the bill but lacks the punchy personality to make Hood a three-dimensional hero. *1/2 from ****

As if the films of David Miller weren't already tough enough to fathom, his name appears on this, the sort of glossy nonsense that brought British cinema to it's knees in the late sixties.

Calling this film 'Hammerhead' is like calling a Bond film 'Blofeld' since the title refers to villain Peter Vaughan, described as "a completely evil man" who "deals in human depravity".

TV star Vince Edwards (who shows his prowess as a spy by admiringly attributing a room full of obvious copies to painters like Modigliani and Rubens and being told a man is a former jockey opines "a little man?") inhabits a world of yachts and glamour girls (including Judy Geeson as a nightclub singer - obviously dubbed - called Sue Trenton who considers teabags a "nasty American custom".

Any resemblance to the Matt Helm films is further confirmed by the presence of Beverly Addams who'd played Lovey Kravitz.

NAILED IT!

Despite having bought a ticket for Quentin Tarantino's new movie, I felt out of sorts and decided to veg out watching TV which is how I came to see Tarantino Presents The Swing Sixties on Movies4men and, more importantly, that night's pick, Hammerhead, a film that I had not seen since I was 13 .

Hammerhead is a British spy thriller, 'Hammerhead' being the name of the villain and the title of the first book in a series featuring the art loving adventurer Mr Hood written by Stephen Coultier under the pen name James Mayo. I first saw the movie by accident when I went to see 'No Sex Please, We're British' with my class mates for my thirteenth birthday. My parents were not wise in the ways of cinema and my Mother, who was chaperoning us, was blissfully unaware that 'Hammerhead' would be shown as a 'b' feature.

To say that 'Hammerhead' came as a shock is an understatement. Even today, the film received a rating of 15 and Tarantino noted that it was the most controversial film in his selection. All I remembered was that one scene was so scary that the even the class thug ended up holding my mother's hand.It turned out that scene was the film's opening which features a 'happening' or piece of performance art featuring the exploding or melting heads of wax work women, nude cellists and a police raid.

The rest of 'Hammerhead' is barely comprehensible. In tone the film is an Austin Powers's adventure filmed with the sensibility of an episode of the hard boiled British series 'Callan'' , although a big budget version of the Sixties TV series 'The Saint' might be the closest comparison. Anyway, the film's narrative is rambling to the point of incoherence, although not so bad as other films of its ilk such as Puppet on a Chain or the Eiger Sanction.

The film does contain a veritable whose who of British action series including the marvelously villainous Peter Vaughan as Mr Hammerhead, Patrick Cargill, David Prowse as Hammerhead's enforcer and a ride-on part for Kenneth Cope of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) as an un-named 'motorcyclist'. The female cast is also top-notch Sixties: Judy Gleeson plays a good girl mixed up in the whole mess while Diana Dors provides God tier slutty menace as Kit, the madam of a brothel.

Special mention should be made of Beverly Adams, the star of 'How to Stuff a Wild Bikini', wife of Vidal Sasoon who she met while filming 'The Torture Garden'. Adams plays Ivory, Hammerhead's reluctant squeeze and eventual doom in a clever but out of nowhere climax. Adams spends most of the movie acting as if her character were on some kind of amazing drug.

Halfway through the TV screening, Tarantino pops up to discuss why the protagonist Mr Hood let's the film down. Hood was played by Vince Edwards star of Ben Casey, but makes zero impression on the Big Screen. Tarantino gleefully points to Hood's terrible dress sense. Where Gleeson's clothes are on-trend Carnaby Street, Edward's costume is a hopelessly mis-matching blazer and trousers and, shock, a short sleeved shirt. Tarantin observed that the shirt alone made Hood look like a post office worker rather than a suave art collector and suggested there might have been many sequels if only they had cast someone like Robert Culp in the central role.

My theory is that the British production actually despised its American star. I thought this right from the moment Hood makes tea for Geeson. After a dramatic close-up on a tea bag, she dismisses dismisses tea bags as a "nasty American habit". When Geeson learns of Mr Hoods true vocation, she utterly contemptuous, "Oh God you're a spy! I was hoping you rally were an international jewelry thief".

Despite all that's wrong about 'Hammerhead' somewhere buried among the beautiful Portuguese locations, the hard core violence and the absurdly beautiful eye candy there actually is an intelligent sub-text. The film is a very Sixties celebration of bodily pleasure in the face of an up-tight establishment. Mr Hammerhead's belief that the Art establishment should not cover-up the sensual, erotic nature of female nudes chimes with the counter-culture's rejection of arid intellectualism and Establishment norms. The film underlines its message with a climax that inter-cuts a formal piano recital with another 'happening' on the beach.

This has to be one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I watched it on television years ago, my wife and I have used it as a standard for the worst ever sense. It was so bad, I turned it off, thought maybe it would get better, turned it back on, three times. Even the music was terrible. HammmmmmmmmmmmmmerHead, still rings in my ears.

"Hammerhead" fit very nicely into the 60's/70's explosion of spy flicks which were rushed into theaters following the success of James Bond. It was less humorous and over-the-top than either the Matt Helm or Derek Flint series, but less dark than the Harry Palmer films. It was a solid blend of humor and action and stands as one of the best productions of the era.

Vince Edwards did quite a very respectable job as Charles Hood, handling himself exceptionally well in the action sequences, making a credible two-fisted action hero. Peter Vaughn was excellent as the eccentric title villain and I have a memory of a very well done chase sequence with Edwards and a motorcycle that sticks in my mind. Judy Geeson as Hood's romantic interest, while cute and 60's groovy, was incredibly weak and was the film's major drawback, much like a large number of the Bond Girls of the Roger Moore era.

"Hammerhead" was based on the Charles Hood spy novel by Steven Coulter, writing as James Mayo. Coulter/Mayo was a friend and contemporary of Ian Fleming and even helped Fleming with the background material for CASINO ROYALE. Coulter finished five spy novels in the Hood series. They are actually quite good and it's a shame that Irving Allen only made one Charles Hood film. I recommend the novels as well if you can find any of them in print anymore.

I saw "Hammerhead" in the theater when it was first released and then remember seeing an edited version on TV some time later. Although it's been a very long time since I've seen "Hammerhead", I have very fond memories of it and would love to see a DVD release of it in the future.

I recommend "Hammerhead" as one of the better spy adventures of the 60's.

The James Bond Series of Films, the Longest Continuation in History, was a "Sixties" Invention.

Now, Die-Hard Fans "Take a Deep Breath"...The Body of Work as a Whole does Not Hold Up all that well.

With Exceptions for sure, there is a lot of Mediocrity with some Great and some, let's just say Not So Great when Viewed Today Objectively and Without Nostalgia.

The Bond Mega-Success Spawned Much to Answer for. Spin-Offs that Range from Clever to "WTF?".

Many Types Varying in Scope, Budget, and Talent. Film as well as its Baby-Brother "TV" were Ablaze with "Secret Agent" Mania.

Here We have a Feature Film with a Half and Half Approach.

Spoof and Parody along with some Intrigue and Genuine and Unfettered Mimicry with Gimmickry making an Appearance if Not on a Grand Scale.

That Became one of the Bond Series Iffy "Evolution" where the Producers and Filmmakers got a Bit "Big For Their Britches". Mostly in the "Roger Moore" Movies.

Vince Edwards seems somewhat Miscast. A Former Handsome Body Builder who made His Mark as TV's Ben Casey had a Pleasant if Limited Screen Presence.

He doesn't even Try and Stretch as "Hood" the Bondish Persona only Hinted at. Edwards Amiably goes through the motions with mostly a Smirk.

The Supporting Cast is Highlighted by a Spunky "Mod" Bond-Girl (Judy Geeson). She is (like the movie) a Love/Hate Affair. Her Performance is so Over the Top, but Having Fun, and Signals what the Tone of the Film is All About.

Some Appeal can be Had at the Hands of Middle Class Hippies and Their "Experimenting" with Art and Fashion. Something that Rarely Approaches Verisimilitude in a Movie.

It's a Loud, Brash, Colorful Attempt and Fans are Straight Down the Middle...

Yep, They either Love it...or Hate it.

Got a Mind...Don't Waste it...You Decide.

The other reviews are pretty spot-on in assessing this as utter drek, but oddly nobody has mentioned the ludicrous scene in which Judy Geeson - worst actress of 1968 without a doubt - suddenly bursts into song. After a good hour (which seems like a lifetime) of Geeson's high pitched, twelve year old schoolgirl voice, she appears in a nightclub 'singing', only her voice has been dubbed by a Madeline Bell soundalike (for those who aren't familiar with Miss Bell, she is a husky voiced jazz singer of the Shirley Bassey type). A more unsuitable voice double for Judy Geeson would be hard to imagine! The only plus in the entire film is the great Diana Dors, injecting interest and style into a project sadly lacking in both departments.

The spy genre popularized by the James Bond series certainly gave fruit to a lot of attempts worldwide to play in the same sandbox. This British effort (with an American star) isn't anything great, but at least it is largely played tongue-in-cheek (while firmly dating itself as a 1960s piece), and ought to earn some smiles, or chuckles, if few real belly laughs. Vince Edwards plays Charles Hood, a special agent trying to get the goods on the title master criminal (played by top British character actor Peter Vaughan). This he does by using the cover of selling the man vintage pornography! As he gamely goes on his mission, Hood keeps encountering Sue Trenton, a jovial young lady played by the lovely Judy Geeson.

"Hammerhead" does ultimately get a little tiresome, and goes on a bit too long, but there ARE some pleasures to be had. Chief among them are the very sexy ladies on hand (also including Diana Dors as Kit, Beverly Adams as Ivory, Tracy Reed as Miss Hull, and Veronica Carlson as Ulla). The film is likewise attractively photographed by Wilkie Cooper & Kenneth Talbot, and is partly shot in picturesque Portugal. Vaughan is fun as a bad guy who knows how to make an entrance, Edwards is amiable as the hero, and the enticing Ms. Geeson is a lively leading lady (although some people might find her effervescent personality a bit much). They're supported by some excellent British actors, with Michael Bates standing out in a dual role. And that's David "Darth Vader" Prowse in the small role of Hammerheads' young muscleman. This viewers' favorite sequence involves Hood & Sue being trapped inside a coffin, on their way to certain doom (bad guys in these types of stories so often rarely kill the good guys when it is most advantageous to do so). They catch the attention of a young motorcyclist (Kenneth Cope) whose reactions are hysterical.

Decently guided by the American director David Miller ("The Opposite Sex", "Lonely Are the Brave"), this moves along adequately, doling out some entertaining action sequences while accompanied by a jaunty music score by David Whitaker. The oddest touch is the performance art playing out alongside the opening credits, presided over by an eccentric artist (Douglas Wilmer).

Five out of 10.

Saw this on the Talking Pictures channel - UK, old films and TV shows. They show a lot of good stuff from yesteryear, but sadly included in that is quite a bit of dross - though I suppose some viewers will see that and mark it up for nostalgia value?

This one may count for nostalgia, but I'd say neuralgia is a more logical reaction.

As other reviews have said, lots of spoof Bond films came out in the 60s and 70s, mostly with a comic element, mostly I suppose quite good fun if seen after you'd been to the pub. Don't include in that grouping the dark and brooding films like Funeral in Berlin, Spy who came in from the cold, etc, no parody elements there!

This one had an American agent hero (from a US medical series), comic villain Peter Vaughan, and lots of Btitish stars like Michael Bated (Last of the Summer Wine), Diana Dors, Patrick Cargill, Dave Prowse (became Darth Vader), and Judy Geeson to please any teenage guys watching, fluttering her eyelashes, smile, legs, and where possible knickers.

The plot involved some secret papers, and an agent who was (such luck) the double of a scientist, used to try and steal them. I say 'plot', the story could have been dreamed up in a pub one night, after a couple of dodgy pints, with a lot of toing and froing around quite pretty Portuguese scenes, augmented by a few flower-power extras and Peter Vaughan wanting world domination (this before he was a powerful support in classic comedy sit-com Porridge).

I marked the film 3 out of 10 -- it was harmless enough, but on balance you needn't waste time with it.

Zany spy caper with an American James Bond and an assortment of British b-movie stars.

It's bookended by two crazy freak out style montages of hippie youths doing dangerous antisocial things like dancing and taking off their clothes which the cops put a stop to, but it neatly introduces Judy Geeson who repeatedly shows up in each change of location so often I was convinced she would be revealed as some sort of British intelligence operative masquerading as a nymphomaniacal socialite junkie, stealing every scene she's in by giggling and pouting. Her omnipresence is so remarkable she is the mugaffin.

The rest of it was something about missiles and piano recitals and scenes of torture, the victim of which gets moved around almost as often as Judy Geeson but happily delivers his expository dialogue before expiring giving necessary depth to the hapless stooge before killing off everyone else without worrying about the ethical quandary.

Sadly it's neither funny enough to be a spoof nor serious enough to be a thriller. The violence/ action scenes are a bit unnecessary and the diabolical masterplan seems too fantastic and risky to be plausible. Happily there was no secret underground lair but there were henchmen wearing stripy T-shirts.

A host of familiar faces play small roles including David Prowse, Diana Dors, Kenneth Cope and Veronica Carlson and there's a bit of humour involving a hearse chase but like the diegetic theme song which appears at least 3 times including the hippy dance at the end, it's highly derivative and repetitive. Our man Hood in one scene names the artists of various paintings to demonstrate his cultivation; but does it so many times in succession the he ceases to resemble a gentleman and turns into a tour guide.

Like the crazy kid/ stoner at the end, lowering his caged self into the bay water while everyone dances; it all seems kind of random, dangerous and stupid and someone really should put a stop to it.

I have just heard Quentin Tarantino give this film a good review, but I'm sorry I can't agree. It is just another B grade 60's spy genre film. It also appears to be another failed attempt by Hollywood to create an American James Bond but it doesn't make the grade. Edwards acting is wooden and unsuitable for the role, and the supporting casts acting is poor. Overall the movie doesn't have the style of Bond, nor the grit of Harry Palmer. But it's a bit of fun to watch

While I have not seen the Hammerhead movie, I do have the soundtrack album.

I ended up ordering it by mistake about 25 years ago, and when I got it, I opened it anyway as I collect soundtracks, and had never heard of the movie Hammerhead.

There is a catchy theme song, and some cool chase music, as well as other tunes, and even a Hammerhead 'concerto' on the record.

If this movie ever comes out on video, I would like to see it in order to associate the music with the scenes.

The music is typical of the 60s and is very light-hearted and fun to listen to.