This movie was taken by Mario Bava from an Italian comic book, and turned into a fantastic late 60's explosion of colour, swinging music and speeded up car chases. The lead character - Diabolik - is a master criminal with an incredible underground hideout, which makes the bat cave look like a pot hole. John Philip Law, who plays our anti-hero, is incredible to watch. As Diabolik spends a lot of the time masked up in black PVC, with only his eyes and eyebrows on view, Philip Law brilliantly portrays a man on the edge by constantly moving and twitching. Always on the look out for the cops or other criminals. He's ably accompanied by the beautiful Melissa Mell as his partner in crime - and she certainly makes the most of the rather skimpy wardrobe she has. And then there's the groovy soundtrack by Ennio Morricone. Great stuff. The only drawback to the film is the lack of structure. It watches like 4 or 5 different issues from the comic it was taken from. There's a number of different heists that, on their own are great fun to watch, but as a whole don't lead anywhere. They're just the latest in his string of master crimes. But if you're willing to accept that as a whole, the film doesn't really have any beginning or end, then you should be ready to squeeze into that PVC cat-suit, jump into the nearest E-type, and speed off into the psychadelia horizon with a beautiful chick by your side. Italian crime caper at its best!
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