In Like Flint

_**Tedious sequel put an end to the franchise**_ Super-spy Derek Flint (James Coburn) takes on a cabal of female tycoons who work from a tropical spa located in the Virgin Islands. Their plan to take over the world begins with replacing the president with an impersonator (Andrew Duggan). Lee J. Cobb and Jean Hale costar. Yvonne Craig shows up as a Russian ballerina. "In Like Flint" (1967) is a mid-60’s spy send-up in the manner of the Matt Helm flicks and “Fathom.” It’s not an outrageous spoof, like the TV show Get Smart, but takes the relatively low-key route. Everything is here for a quality movie of this sort, including loads of 60’s babes, but the story isn’t compelling and the creators didn’t seem to know how to take advantage of their feminine resources (not talkin’ ’bout nudity or sleaze). This was the second in the Flint series after “Our Man Flint” from the previous year, but the slashed budget and tiresome story put the kibosh on the franchise. It’s still worth checking out though for a few amusing scenes and the authentic mid-60’s ambiance (authentic because that’s when it was made). Coburn was certainly the king of cool at the time and it wasn’t his fault the script & general filmmaking were below par. The film is overlong at 1 hour, 54 minutes. It was shot in Jamaica (Montego Bay & Dunn's River Falls) and Los Angeles (Century City & Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant). GRADE: C