This is a creditable stab at telling Modesty Blaise's origin story by way of flashbacks forming part of a robbery / hostage story while Modesty is on her way to forming The Network in Tangier.As a stand alone film for someone who has never read a novel or comic strip, I think it is probably quite successful, if a little lacking in production value.The reservations I have derive from the portrayal of Modesty herself. On one hand, she is very self assured, which is good: conversely, she doesn't seem (yet?) to have developed the moral sensibilities she often shows in the novels, whereby she will happily use sexual tricks to win strategy points: here she sometimes comes across as prudish. Also, while actress Alexandra Staden looks the part, particularly facially, she never quite convinces in combat scenes: she very clearly comes across as someone who is delivering moves in a choreographed routine, not someone who's movements are fluidly derived from almost subconscious processing of all relevant elements.A worthy attempt, but not entirely successful.

With being a fan of Tarantinos films and having heard about Scott Spiegls involvement in starting the carriers of Tarantino and Sam Raimi,i felt the i should give this a try,and after finding out that it only took eighteen days to make the film,i feel the it is a flawed,but fun film. The plot:A casino house is held up by a gang that has killed the owner and wants the code to break into the casinos safe.The gang leader picks a croupier called Modesty to sort out the code.So she is forced to ring up one of the other staff members to get the code,but due to the teller being very far away,the gang leader decides to make the time pass better by playing a game of roulette with modesty,where they both have more to lose than just cash in this game...View on the film: Direction:The main flaw with the film seems to be the spilt interest in the sections of the film by Spiegel.The gambling part of the film is a very enjoyable drama,but sadly the flashbacks that should make you a lot more interested in Modesty,thought pretty well written they are made to look like they are from a very cheap low-rent straight to video film.And also the main death in the film (of someone falling onto the centre of a roulette wheel,is shot that badly you can not make out at all that the person has landed on the wheel.Final view on the film:A very enjoyable gambling drama,the is let down by a badly shot death and a poorly filmed back story.

Recap: It's business as usual at Louche's casino in Tanger. The casino is about to close and prepares for a big transaction the next day. The owner Louche and some staff leave for the night, leaving Modesty in charge. Suddenly a troop of armed gangsters storm the casino, shooting wildly. Unknown to Modesty, they have already killed Louche, and are now after the money hidden in the vault. But no one present, and still alive, at the casino knows the code to open the vault. The vault itself is heavily booby trapped with explosives so the assailants can't blow the door as planned. Suddenly Modesty finds herself eye to eye with the gangsters' leader Miklos in a game of roulette with their lives in jeopardy.Comments: This is a review written with no connection what so ever with other published media about Modesty Blaise, as I have neither seen nor read any of it. The first point I like to make is that this is slightly wrongfully classified. Foremost I thought this was a thriller with a battle of wits between Modesty and Miklos as the main plot. Sure, there are some bursts of action but they are not really an integral or important part of the story.As already mentioned the main plot and the main suspense-filled scene, is the game between Modesty and Miklos. It's an innovative and intriguing way of revealing the background of a character, and in doing so much of the story takes place outside the casino at a much earlier time. Someone said that it is almost like a pilot for a TV-series, and the feeling is that it might indeed be used as such. But, I felt it was a much better way to introduce a character than many other have done. I was in no way disappointed in the lack of action, instead I enjoyed this game, the history much more than a simple action movie.I think the two main stars, Alexandra Staden and Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau did very well. Staden especially portrays Modesty very well, and really carries this confident and talented character.7/10

I have been reading Modesty Blaise comics and novels since the '70s. The character is strong, intelligent, charismatic. The stories are, for the most part, action-packed, well thought out and not campy.So what is it about Modesty Blaise that makes people create second or third rate movies of her starring actresses who couldn't be less like her unless they 90 year old women with blond hair and no teeth? I think Modesty could be a very successful movie if the producers/directors/whoevers would stop trying to make the character and the stories into something entirely else. Even if they have no respect or interest in the books or comics (which is obviously the case), don't they want our money??? Modesty Blaise fans are used to paying graphic novel prices for our Modesty (which are almost $20 per book) and we pay much more than the price for the average paperback for the novels when we have to replace one.So what is the point of giving us something most of us will never enjoy and will never pay good money for? I love Peter O'Donnell's work but his involvement in a project does not guarantee anything. His involvement in the DC comic certainly didn't save it - even though it was taken from the novel. But even if DC convoluted the story so no one but a Modesty fan could enjoy it, they DID try and I did buy a copy for my collection. That's certainly more than can be said for either movie :(I would love to see a reasonably well-cast version of Modesty, Willie, Sir Gerald. I'm not greedy - I don't expect great casting, although I would be ecstatic. But a story that looks and feel like Modesty will get me to the theater several times minimum and guarantee I will be buying the DVD. The sad part is with each failure, this wonderful and dynamic character gets thrust into the mind of the movie industry and the public as a failure. And that's a real shame!