Condorman (1981)

Parody / Directed by Charles Jarrott

PLOT

A comic book artist becomes a spy to help a Russian agent defect, using his superhero character as a front. But Krokov won’t so easily let his best operative—not to mention lover—escape his clutches. A wild and dangerous chase through Europe begins...

REVIEW

Not every big-budget film is created equal. While most become blockbuster hits, others fare poorly and eventually fade into obscurity. A few of the latter manage to gain cult status within some circles—and that is the case we have here.

If superhero films have been all the rage for the last couple of decades, they were not a new phenomenon. There were precursors. The “Superman” films of the 80s come to mind, of course, as does Tim Burton’s “Batman.” But before even those, there were other attempts. On television (Wonder Woman, The incredible Hulk, The amazing Spider-Man...) but also on the big screen.

While we all are well acquainted with all the comic book adaptations, there have also been some experimenting with original characters. Condorman was one such case (though not the first by far).

Ironically, my first exposure to Condorman was through a... comic book adaptation! I was a kid when I got my hands on this one, and I was fascinated with the character for some reason. It would be years before I finally got to see the movie. I remember enjoying it at the time. And I’m happy to report it still holds up rather well today.

Condorman comic book adaptation.

There’s a chance you might have seen references to this film without even realizing it. For instance, the opening scene of “Kick-Ass” somewhat mirrors the opening scene of “Condorman.” In the latter, we see the title character, in full costume, jump off the Eiffel Tower. In the former, we see the title character, in full costume, leap from the top of a skyscraper. And in both cases, it doesn’t end too well!

Because “Condorman” isn’t a straight-up superhero film, but more of a parody—and not only of superhero films. In fact, I’d argue it has a lot more elements of a spy film. The costume is only used in two scenes—at the beginning and the end. Still, our hero (Woody) is a comic book artist. Condorman is the name of a character he created for his comics. And he’s a bit of a perfectionist, you see, always wanting his work to feel believable. So how better to make things believable than by enacting them? Thus the costume and the gadgets.

Now here’s the fun part. His best friend happens to work at the CIA. Not as a secret agent, mind you, despite Woody’s romanticized ideas (to which Harry responds by saying “Not everybody at the Agency is Robert Redford”—a reference to “Three days of the Condor”). Nevertheless, when the CIA needs a civilian for a low-profile mission in Istanbul, Harry talks his friend into going, highlighting how it would give a cache of truth to Condorman’s adventures.

And so off our hero goes to Istanbul, throwing him into a nest of vipers. I should point out that the main character is clumsy as hell. This makes sense when you know this film was an attempt to repeat the success of the “Pink panther” franchise. On that front, it did not succeed—and I don’t just mean commercially, it just isn’t that level of funny. Still, there are some moments of hilarity, and one such moment is the scene in Istanbul when Woody meets Natalia and the mess that follows at the restaurant. It all leads to a misunderstanding that makes the rest of the film possible.

Enter the bad guy.

When Natalia returns home, she finds Krokov waiting for her. They’re both Russian spies and it’s implied the two are an item, though Natalia is clearly uncomfortable with how their relationship has evolved. In fact, so much so, she decides to defect. The viewer can’t blame her, as we quickly find out Krokov is a piece of work. He’s cold, heartless, spiteful, and possessive. I should add that he’s masterfully portrayed by Oliver Reed (he’s really good at playing these types).

Because of how the earlier scene in Istanbul played out, Natalia is convinced Woody is the real deal. So when she sends word that she wants to defect, she requests Condorman to handle her transfer (our genius hero decided to use his character’s name as his spy alias).

The rest, as they say, is history.

Seriously though, the script is pretty well written. It all holds up, despite a few glitches here and there.

There are some heavy James Bond vibes throughout the film, with a load of gadgets (including the Condormobile that can shoot missiles and turn into a hovercraft) and even a future Bond girl (Barbara Carrera, who plays Natalia, went on to co-star a year later in “Never say never again” with Sean Connery). Even Krokov feels like the type of bad guy you could easily have found in a James Bond film.

Oh, and wait until you meet Morovich! Jaws (from “Moonraker”) has nothing on him. Where the latter has steel teeth, the former has a glass eye and runs a gang of homicidal maniacs who take the definition of “road rage” to new heights. There’s a really cool (and, again, Bond-reminiscent) car chase through a Yugoslavian village and countryside.

There are some moments of brilliance, too. Like when Natalia and Woody are cornered in a church and the defecting spy disrupts a wedding to get them out of that nasty jam.

Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a masterpiece, nor even a subtle psychological story. It won’t make you ask questions about life, the universe, and everything. But it’s well made, with a great cast, neat special effects, and heart-stopping stunts (coordinated by Rémy Julienne, who worked on many of the James Bond films). Its sole purpose is to entertain and, on that front, it does its job well—even if the jokes are not always up to the task.

The way the film ends suggests they likely considered making a sequel—or at least left a door open so they could make one if the film was successful... Sadly, it was not. Honestly, I’d have watched the sequel if it existed.

So what about you? Have you seen this movie? What did you think of it?

Which is your favorite parody?

Tell us in the comments.

Woody in his Condorman costume, about to whisk Natalia away.

TRIVIA NOTES

• Despite portraying an American in the film, Michael Crawford is a British actor and singer. He first came to attention in the BBC sitcom Some mothers do ‘ave ‘em before earning widespread acclaim for his stage performance as “The Phantom of the Opera.”

• After beginning as an extra, fellow British actor Oliver Reed got his first major role in Terence Fisher’s “The curse of the werewolf” in 1961. Hammer Films went on to cast him in several more titles. Stardom came when he got the lead in “Oliver!” a film directed by his uncle Carol Reed. This was followed by “The assassination bureau,” “Women in love,” and “The devils.” He also portrayed Athos in “The three Musketeers” and its sequels. Other credits include “Burnt offerings,” “The big sleep,” David Cronenberg’s “The brood,” and Terry Gilliam’s “The adventures of Baron Munchausen.” His final role was as a slave merchant in Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator.”

• Barbara Carrera had notable roles in “Embryo,” “The island of Dr. Moreau,” and “When time ran out.” She was a Bond girl in “Never say never again” and guest starred in episodes of Matt Houston, Mike Hammer, JAG, and Judging Amy. She also had recurring parts in Centennial and Dallas.

• French actor Jean-Pierre Kalfon convincingly portrays madman Morovich. This was his second out of three films he shot in English (the other two being “The dogs of war” a year earlier, and “I love L.A.” 17 years later). His French credits include “Une fille et des fusils” (which started a multi-film collaboration with director Claude Lelouch), Barbet Schroeder’s “Obscured by clouds” (with a soundtrack by Pink Floyd), “Rue barbare,” “The twin,” “The cry of the owl,” and “I always wanted to be a gangster.”

• Dana Elcar, who plays Harry’s boss at the CIA, is best remembered as MacGyver’s supervisor Peter Thornton. He also played the sheriff in Dark shadows and had a lead role in Baa Baa Black Sheep. Film credits include “The sting,” “Report to the Commissioner,” “Baby blue marine,” “St. Ives,” and “2010: The year we make contact.”

• The film was inspired by a Robert Sheckley novel. Though best known for his work in Science-Fiction, “The game of X” was a parody of spy stories with no genre elements—not even the superhero bits that were added by the screenwriter.

• In their attempt to repeat the success of the “Pink panther” series, the producers hired Henry Mancini to compose the soundtrack. Aside from the famous “Pink panther” theme, Mancini scored many other films—including “Creature from the black lagoon,” “Touch of evil” for Orson Welles, “Operation Petticoat,” “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” “Hatari!” for Howard Hawks, “The party,” “The prisoner of Zenda,” “Victor Victoria,” “Lifeforce” for Tobe Hooper, and “Blind date.” His long association with director Blake Edwards started in the late 50s when he composed a memorable theme for Peter Gunn. Other television work includes Mr. Lucky (also for Edwards), Sanford Arms, Remington Steele, and Hotel.

• British director Charles Jarrott’s biggest hit was “Anne of the thousand days” which earned him a Golden Globe in 1970. He also directed “Mary, Queen of Scots,” “Lost horizon,” “The last flight of Noah’s Ark,” and “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.”

CREDITS

Directed by Charles Jarrott.

Screenplay by Marc Stirdivant, suggested by “The game of X” by Robert Sheckley.

Produced by Jan Williams.

Music by Henry Mancini.

Cinematography by Charles F. Wheeler.

Edited by Gordon D. Brenner.

Starring Michael Crawford as Woody, Oliver Reed as Krokov, Barbara Carrera as Natalia, James Hampton as Harry, Jean-Pierre Kalfon as Morovich, Dana Elcar as Russ, Vernon Dobtcheff as Russian agent, Robert Arden as CIA chief.

Produced by Walt Disney Productions.

Distributed by Buena Vista Distribution Co., Inc.

Released on August 7, 1981.

Running time: 92 minutes.

Genre: Espionage parody.

Poster art by Larry Salk.

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Text (c) 2024 by Alex S. Garcia.

Header image: screenshot of the film’s title card.

Film poster courtesy of IMP Awards.

Comic book cover from chat7athome's flickr account.