Rating: ***
Review Date: 5/1/16
Cast: Richard Johnson, Daliah Lavi, Beba Loncar, James Villiers, Sydne Rome,
Virginia North, Yutte Stensgaard
An appallingly sexist, but unabashedly entertaining sequel to "Deadlier Than The Male" (1966). A megalomaniacal villain named Carl Peterson (crusty James Villiers) is sabotaging the construction of an experimental supersonic jet with the aid of his all-girl security detail. Insurance investigator Hugh Drummond (Richard Johnson) gets involved, and pretty soon everyone wants him out of the picture. After numerous set-ups and betrayals, Drummond finally gets the upper hand and destroys Peterson's operation for good, but his victory is hollow and bittersweet.
A moderately better outing than the original, and the aggressively hormonal male behavior is toned down quite a bit. Drummond is still a suave and intelligent man of action who likes to get it on with the ladies, but it's the ladies who ultimately own the film. Helga (Daliah Lavi) is the sadistic ringleader, while the adorably charming Pandora (Beba Loncar) is her somewhat air-headed sidekick (similar to Elke Sommer and Sylva Koscina in the original). Virginia North and Yutte Stensgard have small roles as "robotized" agents under Peterson's control. And finally, there's Drummond's overly eager wanna-be assistant, Flicky (Sydne Rome), who follows Drummond across the globe in a bumbling attempt to help him out. She pulls off the wide-eyed bimbo routine extremely well, but there's more to her than that.
The production is quite good for the most part and highlighted by some excellent aerial photography and stunt work. The action is definitely a step up from the previous film, with Drummond coming across as more of a hard hitting brawler than a judo expert. The women are all fantastic and the film is unapologetically sensual and sexy. The presentation is a lighthearted and enjoyable blend of seriousness and silliness that only the 1960's could provide. An overuse of rear projection spoils some of the fun, but that's not unusual for the time period. Overall, "Some Girls Do" is a guilty pleasure for those who aren't easily offended by antiquated gender politics.