The Three Fantastic Supermen (1967; Gianfranco Parolini)

Left to right: Brad Harris, Tony Kendall, Nick Jordan

Agent Brad McCallum (Brad Harris) recruits Tony (Tony Kendall) and Nick (Nick Jordan), two acrobatic thieves with bulletproof superhero costumes, to (unwittingly) do some good for the government by robbing a foreign embassy. And then he prods them further into meeting Professor Schwarz (Carlo Tamberlani), the scientist who designed their bulletproof suits, so that the government can make use of his invention. As soon as they arrive, the scientist is whisked away to the island retreat (it’s always an island!) run by the fiend named The Golem!  The chase is on!

So begins the first of several Three Supermen movies. Of the many Italian superhero films of its decade, perhaps no other quite captures the whimsy of a comic book. It is nearly a non-stop parade of action and acrobatics (of course, the specialty of director Gianfranco Parolini). Even non-action scenes have some kind of acceleration.

Knowing the director’s penchant for broad comedy and circus-like cartoon action (Return Of Sabata, anyone?), this is surprisingly, refreshingly, more subtle than it could have been. Even Nick’s mute character (with unintelligible sounds instead of words) is considerably low key.  The Three Fantastic Supermen was no doubt aimed for kiddie matinee audiences, because even the violence is absurd. When people get killed, they become outlines with a zigzag pattern and then turn into gemstones! 

Still, there is much for adults to enjoy, particularly in the Tony character. Tony Kendall remains the scene stealer, even with Nick acting as the comic relief, and former peplum star Brad Harris flexing his pecs. His character is a ladies man whose wandering ways often get him slapped. Tony’s demeanour is similar to that of the swaggering Joe Walker, played by the same actor in the Kommissar X adventures. (Harris and Kendall co-starred in the seven-film series; two of which were “officially” directed by Parolini.)

There is even an out of nowhere fashion dance number (!) featuring Tony, Nick and two ladies. While we commonly remember Tony Kendall for his action-adventure roles, these lovely moments suggest that he could’ve been equally adept in comedies and musicals!

There are some good sequences such as where a duplicate Brad fights Tony and Nick, the big chase-shootout in pursuit of the kidnapped scientist, plus a tense moment where a kid is hanging from the ledge. The film is serious when needed; instead of merely being a slapstick opus. It is all over the map tonally and stylistically, yet responsibly so. It certainly isn’t dull!

Also, co-writers Parolini and Marcello Coscia lend a surprising amount of complexity to the characters. Watch the smile on Harris’ face, in the touching moment where the heroes encounter a bunch of school kids who think they’re Batman! He realizes how virtuous his job has become! Also, after the adventure is over, justice doesn’t always win out: sometimes thieves will be thieves.

This film was followed by several “official” sequels: Three Supermen In Tokyo (1968, with George Martin, Sal Borgese and Willy Newcomb); Three Supermen In The Jungle (1970, with Martin, Borgese, and Brad Harris); Three Supermen Of The West (1973, with Martin, Borgese and Frank Brana); Supermen Against The Orient (1973, with Robert Malcolm, Antonio Cantafora and Borgese), and numerous other similarly titled knockoffs filmed in Italy, Japan, and (of course) Turkey. All of these will be reviewed here soon, we hope!