Bullet Points: Mad Mission Part 3: Our Man from Bond Street
Mad Mission (or Aces Go Places) is right at the top of my all time favorite action comedy series. James Bond is right at the top of my all time favorite action espionage series. When they come together I am happier than a pig in mud. Mad Mission Part 3: Our Man from Bond Street is a great combination of the two franchises and now is a great time to check out the Bullet Points.
- Reminder – In case you forgot about the action set pieces from the previous movie, Mad Mission Part 2: Aces Go Places all you need to do is watch the opening credits to Part 3 as the action is replayed in similar fashion to the opening credits of Part 2. The action and comedy are what make the Mad Mission movies fun to watch and any chance to show spectacular stunts is appreciated.
- Familiar – Part 3 opens in Paris with Sam (or King Kong, Samuel Hui). I am not quite sure what he is doing there but when we get to see a statue explode, escape via parade and a Seine side fight it doesn’t matter the reasoning. Even more fun is the fight up the Eiffel tower with Richard Kiel playing Big G in a Jaws-esque role minus the teeth and Thunder Sugiyama playing Oddjob, a character with not only the same name as the character from Goldfinger, but the same bowler hat throwing gimmick.
- First – When a fight takes you to the top of the Eiffel Tower, there are only two ways down. One is the way you came, and the other is to parachute off the top. I now understand why A View to a Kill chose to use the same escape in a movie that came out a year later. Of course, the A View to a Kill really had a stuntman jump off, but there is no reason to get pedantic. Sam is eventually kidnapped by someone claiming to be James Bond and needs Sam’s help stealing back the crown jewels that were stolen in Hong Kong.
- Heist – Sam agrees to steal the jewels, for what he thinks is the correct reason, and this brings him back to Hong Kong and we get to see Kodyjack (or Albert, Karl Maka) and Nancy Ho (or Hot Tung, Sylvia Chang) again. Sam uses gadgets and gizmos aplenty to steal a diamond and the mirror gimmick features some pretty impressive effects.
- Christmas – Mad Mission Part 3: Our Man from Bond Street can be added to the list of questionable movies that are Christmas movies or not. I am going to say yes just because the second heist features a slew of Santas that first escape via jetpack and then via dirt bike. I must have been a good boy this year because Santa brought me exactly what I wanted with that scene.
- Jets – When I think of Part 2, I think of robots because a lot the action involves robots. Part 3 makes me think of jet power. We get Sam escaping with jet powered shoes (shoes that he wears on his hands underwater), a jet pack (not including the Santas), and a jet powered personal aircraft. The personal aircraft is a great scene that sees Sam and Kodyjack flying over the streets of Hong Kong and eventually into the subway tunnels. If you squint hard enough you can almost make the wires and heavy use of miniatures disappear.
- Impossible – Eventually, Sam learns that James Bond is a phony and he must work with the real British Government to re-acquire the jewels. Peter Graves (Number One with a Bullet) plays Tom Collins, the real man in charge of getting the jewels and you better believe there is a gag (one that features a rickshaw careening down a street) with a self-destructing message.
- Hallelujah – I am not sure if it is an official quarry or not, but the scene with Sam, Kodyjack and Nancy trying to escape while getting chased by Mad Max style bikers with battle axes, flails and crossbows had me praising the action comedy gods. I nearly passed out when the classic road painted on a wall to look like a tunnel gimmick actually worked.
- Baby – The finale takes place with James Bond having kidnapped Kodyjack and Nancy’s son, a baby that is just as bald as his father. The action is as good as the rest of the movie, but only the finale had the balls to have the villain point a gun directly at a real baby. I’m sure the gun was fake, but that was a real baby and credit has to be given to that infant actor for his dedication and using the The Three Stooges poke in the eyes to help himself out of the situation.
Mad Mission Part 3: Our Man from Bond Street is a great time if you like the Mad Mission style of action and comedy, or if you like James Bond movies. There are plenty of nods, along with the down right copying of the Bond films but that is what makes it so much fun. If you need any more evidence, check out the Mad Mission Part 3: Our Man from Bond Street Bonus Bullet Points.
- Erotic Awakening Quote – “In Paris we do not fight, we make love.”
- Best Name – There was a fake Queen Elizabeth II played by Huguette Funfrock and that is easily a top five name.
- How You Know It’s the 1980s – Ronald Regan, or at least an impersonator, shows up at the end which leads to the most fitting last quote of a movie that you can get from Sam looking directly at the camera…
- … – “Y’all come back now, you hear.”
