russedav
This is really just an FYI that this 1966 American spy "film" is actually a compilation of the first four ~25' episodes of a total of seventeen of the on-season series, "Blue Light, that aired on ABC-TV from January 12 to May 18, 1966:
101, Jan. 12, 1966, The Last Man
102, Jan. 19, 1966 Target, David March
103, Jan. 26, 1966 The Fortress Below
104, Feb. 02, 1966 The Weapon Within
The negative critics really offer no legitimate criticism in view of how FAR worse much of today's stuff is.
krawford
Of my very large collection of war movies, I give this one the second lowest rating of my entire collection. I hesitate to call this a war movie, I think the best way to sum up is to call this a low budget James Bond flick set during WW2. The acting was good, as was the plot / storyline in general, but the detail which essentially creates the suspense and believability of the plot was not thought out in the slightest and ruined what might otherwise have been a good story. What was simply horrible with this film was the direction by Walter Grauman and the awful camera work. In several places it left me feeling like I was watching a cartoon or high school play, it was simply awful and without question it was the direction that killed this film. One scene that comes to mind is Goulet running through a high security "well lit" facility wearing a bright yellow jumpsuit, with German guards everywhere mere feet away, and somehow they fail to see him as he arms several missiles and kills a guard. A small point I know, but there were dozens of similar ridiculous scenes that all combined made the movie just plain dumb.
bensonmum2
I Deal in Danger is not really a movie, but a couple episodes of a television show called "Blue Light" that were edited together. The show told the story of an Allied secret agent named David March who has defected to the German side. March has, for the most part, been accepted by the Nazi high command. In reality, March is a double agent still working with the Allies in their fight against Hitler and Nazi Germany. Because of its multi-episode television origin, I Deal in Danger features two distinct plot lines. The first, and probably my favorite, finds a skeptical SS officer (Werner Peters) looking to test March's loyalty to the Third Reich. Another British agent who wants to switch sides and work for Germany gives the SS officer his opportunity. What the SS officer doesn't know is that the Englishman is also a double agent. The second plot thread sees March get reassigned to a secret underground German weapons facility. March must convenience a female scientist to help him destroy the facility.Overall, I quite enjoyed I Deal in Danger. The film is well paced (any boring bits from the television show were most likely edited out) and reasonably entertaining throughout. There are a few surprises along the way such as the scientist who helps March being allowed to die in the explosion. It's not your standard happy ending. I've never thought much of Robert Goulet, but off the top of my head, this is probably one of the better things I've ever seen him in. Goulet is just rugged and cool enough to pull it off. And I really appreciate the fact that Goulet was allowed to play March completely straight without a hint of irony or comedy. The supporting cast is surprisingly strong with actors like Peters providing Goulet with an excellent nemesis. My biggest compliant is that Goulet's character is allowed to be something of a superman. There's one instance in the movie where March single handedly breaks into a Nazi prison to free a scientist. He seems to know exactly where the scientist is being held, he knows exactly where the guards are, and he knows exactly where to place his explosives. Such a mission would have been impossible. Finally, although there was obviously a decent budget involved, I Deal in Danger never overcomes its television roots. I'm not sure I know how to put this, but I Deal in Danger has a look and feel to it that just screams 60s American television. Until I watched I Deal in Danger, I had never even heard of "Blue Light". It's not that odd considering I was only three years-old when it aired and there were only 17 episodes. Now, however, I would love to see someone bring the show to DVD. I know I'd buy it.
blambert-3
This newly released "compilation" of the 60's show "Blue Light" is well worth a look if you grew up on 60's TV like I did. Combat, Rat Patrol, 12 o'clock high, if you loved those shows you'll enjoy this film/series. Robert Goulet was a singer in the mold of Michael Bolton in the 60's (along with his annoying wife Carol Lawrence) when they put him in this show. Surprisingly he is the best part of it. He's suave, and tough, and believable,(think Pierce Brosnon in the Bond films) and it's hard to figure out why he didn't take off in TV/Movies after this short lived show. It's obvious the producers were trying to capitalize on the Bond craze at the time when they made this series and maybe it just got lost in the shuffle. The story is pretty good; the production values not bad for 60's TV; and if they made more episodes I'd want to see them. Check this film out. 50kmwalk