Superargo and the Faceless Giants (1968; Paolo Bianchini)

An instance where the sequel is better than the original, this followup to Superargo Versus Diabolicus gets right down to business, as it doesn’t have to spend half an hour of screen time on an origin story. The so-called “faceless giants” are actually human-sized: humanoids in red and silver suits, helmets with tubing, and with characterless faces reminiscent of plaster casts. These creatures go around kidnapping athletes and robbing banks, all with the dexterity of Rock Em Sock Em Robots in a china shop, at the behest of the mad Professor Wond.

Curiously, our hero’s superhuman attributes aren’t exploited as much in this entry. However, Superargo has a new ally in the Indian mystic Kamir, who instructs him in new powers of mind control and levitation. Aldo Sambrell, a familiar face as a villain in numerous spaghetti westerns, who plays Kamir, is dubbed with a British accent. Another novel casting choice is, of all people, Guy Madison as the villain. The former matinee idol and TV’s Wild Bill Hickok, who came to Europe for a long career in westerns and war movies, is wonderfully cast against type as the square, bespectacled Professor Wond!

Adding the proper quota of nastiness as Wond's assistant is the bewitching Spanish actress Diana Lorys, perhaps best known abroad for her roles in the horror films The Awful Dr. Orloff, Malenka  and Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll.

The fast, no-frills narrative, written by Julio Buchs, recalls the appeal and glory days of serials, not least with its use of such time-honoured cliffhanger tropes as quicksand (!) and cars that eject oil slicks to elude their pursuers. It is such an entertaining ride that one suddenly remembers the kidnapped athletes only near the end, and right before the film returns to that subplot!

After this very fun romp, sadly no further Superargo entries were filmed. Fittingly then, this film ends with our hero finally taking his mask off for a girl, yet in a cleverly designed shot where the unmasking is seen only in a reflection in a pond, his face obscured by the ripples of water. Perhaps at last, Superargo has finally attained a human identity, but will for us always remain a man of mystery.