Rod Taylor play the exact reverse of James Bond here. The film starts with him doing an F-Troop style rescue of a British Spy in Paris liberation during World War 2 (in black and white no less). Then we move to modern day (1965) type British Spys where the guy he rescued is now a handler of spies.His Chief (the underused here) Wilfred Hyde White orders him to come up with a professional assassin to kill the other sides spies without causing media scandals. This is where Trevor Howard (Mostyn) remembers Taylor (Boysie Oakes) who rescued him. So he comes to America and finds him not doing much in a back water store he runs with an attractive woman. Somehow he convinces Boysie to come to London and sign on as an assassin. Boysie then crosses up Motyn by sub contracting out his hits. (Yes, another 1960's example of Americans practicing free trade). After 12 successful contracts, Boysie decides to take a week-end off and take Iris, Mostyn secretary (Jill St. John) on a week-end jet trip to France and Monacco.This is where complications happen. Seems Boysie (Code named L) has developed a 12 accident contract killing reputation and some folks think he is in France for reason other than whop-pee with Iris posing as his wife.When the MGM Logo starts the credits and Shirley Bassey kicks up the theme song, it reminds one much of the Bond movies it is spoofing. The cast is pretty top notch and considering John Gardener wrote the script and would later take over writing the Bond novels, to confusion is complete. The difference is Taylor plays the Bond who is totally not aware of what is going on around him.Plenty of girls and plenty of fun here. Watch for one of Dudley Moore's ex-wives in the cast of women's flesh. At the end credits, there is a Bond Type Eye and a deflated gun in it. As Shirley sings the ending, the viewer has found a pleasant film and since it was filmed in England under MGM, it does feel like a true Bond spoof though a little shorter than many of the Bond films.

One reviewer here wrote that this film was a poor excursion for the lead actor, Rod Taylor. I do honestly believe it to be one of his best comedy outings in his career. True, the film does lag a bit about two thirds of the way through, but its premise is solid.One simply has to regard the film in the light of the the times it represents; which is the social environment of the late 1940's to the mid 1970's when the Cold War eventually ended. And one has to have some sense of how the Cold War era was, in itself, an exercise in the futility of bringing a major war to an end on a slow boil.Therefore, I regard such claims as it not being humorous, or a lame attempt at such, being the inability of someone too young to have experienced the times.Keep in mind that my generation (born in 1939) participated in 'take-cover' drills in our elementary classrooms, as serious protection from a nuclear bomb blast.When given the signal, we kids were instructed to dive under our classroom desks, and to cover our heads with our hands until the all clear was given.In reality, if the bomb was indeed dropped anywhere nearby, all 'take -cover would have accomplished was to yield - all gone! Yes, it was taken seriously by just about everyone.Knowing this, it is easily understood why actual spy agencies on our side, and behind the Iron Curtain countries actually generated such extremes as history reveals of this era - as serious exercises.Knowing this, simply sit back, relax your serious muscles, expose your humor muscles and enjoy this delightful film in the vein it was intended.

This has always been one of my favorite movies. I always loved James Bond spoofs such as the Derrick Flint and Matt Helm movies, and "The Liquidator" stands above those.Rod Taylor plays Boysie Oakes, a hapless tank commander at the end of WWII, who accidentally saves Colonel Mostyn (Trevor Howard) from two rival spies. Years later, when Britain's spy network is inundated with embarrassing counter-spies, Mostyn remembers Oakes and hires him as "Agent L" (Liquidator) to neatly get rid of these embarrassments. Unable to carry out these liquidations, Oakes hires a private contractor, Griffen (Eric Sykes). Oakes keeps this to himself as he loves the playboy lifestyle that he now lives. Taylor has the unique ability to seem inept at being a spy, while at the same time showing skills above and beyond those around him, and making it all perfectly believable.The subtle comedy and all of the twists and turns (likely and unlikely) make this a very enjoyable and engrossing film. Jill St. John as Iris is great eye-candy and plays the part to the hilt. Her acting complements Taylor's without upstaging him.I highly recommend this film and wish it to be released on DVD.

I first saw this one on the CBS Late Movie in about July of 1972, and (even more than most of those) I can never see it without seeing that radiating star (I even remember where in the film one of the commercial breaks was.) Yes, the theme song (by Lalo Schifrin) practically dares you to call it "Bond rip-off", but that's as presumptuous with this mid-'60s spy movie as it is with so many others. Rod Taylor, an actor who can fit into so many kinds of role, is perfectly believable as a person more or less drafted into being a spy, and an assassin, because of Trevor Howard's instincts about him, in spite of the fact that he's never actually killed anyone (except during the war, and even THEN it was more or less accidental!). And, like any given person in this position, he tries to have it both ways - tries to hang onto the "jet set" spy movie type of lifestyle they've given him, but with no real intention of doing what they want! (Mainly because he's horrified by it, traitors or no traitors.) And Trevor Howard is great as a sort of semi-comical answer to his Captain Blighe, who won't listen to any of "Boysie's" objections about it. Someone mentioned a slightly surprising line (for 1966), and Howard had another one. In an early scene, Taylor's well-built girlfriend was standing beside a cage with a variety of birds, and Howard said, "Multi-coloured tits!" (The name of the bird species, which made it "acceptable.") And Jill St. John, who might not have a WHOLE LOT to do beyond being "window dressing", is just right for this kind of film (though I'm prejudiced when it comes to her). Actually, she was very believable as this chic mid-' 60s English girl (the way they're usually pictured). Although toward the end (and this is a spoiler) she went against that for a moment. When a very surprised Rod Taylor discovered that she'd been part of the plot all along, she laughed at his confusion, and said, "You dumb ox!" (Kind of a down-to-earth thing for the "femme fatale" to say to the hero!) Some of the best funny parts (in a dark comedy way) have to do with Boysie hiring a professional hit man named Mr. Griffen (played by Eric Sykes) to do the killings that HE'S supposed to be doing, and this part had a really great line (in a very understated way). As they were talking, Boysie started to analyse this whole business of hiring someone to kill people (the guilt attached to it). Griffen said, "Can I give you a word of advice, sir? It never does to probe too deep." (In other words, suggesting that he "let it go".)