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Made at the height of the Swinging '60s, Mario Bava's stylish, tongue-in-cheek adaptation of the popular Italian comic strip Diabolik captures all the lavish decadence typical of the psychedelic era. Square-jawed leading man John Phillip Law stars as the titular antihero, a suave, cunning superthief who steals from the government and kills innocent bystanders for his own personal gain. Sharing an opulent underground lair with his stunning, amoral girlfriend Eva Kant (Marisa Mell), Diabolik globetrots Europe in his quest for wealth while confounding both the police (Michel Piccoli and Terry Thomas) and a rival criminal (Adolfo Celi). With its innovative cinematography and a pulsing score by soundtrack maestro Ennio Morricone, DIABOLIK has been referenced in a Beastie Boys video and Roman Coppola's CQ--and owns the dubious honour of being the last film parodied by Mystery Science Theatre 3000.

It’s not who you rob, it’s how you do it – and no-one does it with more style than super-thief Diabolik. Sporting a skin-tight catsuit, he separates the rich and power... more >

It’s not who you rob, it’s how you do it – and no-one does it with more style than super-thief Diabolik. Sporting a skin-tight catsuit, he separates the rich and powerful from their ill-gotten gains in ever more audacious ways. The government are desperate to stop him emptying their treasury; the Mafia want him off their turf. But they’re going to have to raise their game if they want to disrupt Diabolik.

Adapted from an Italian comic strip, Danger: Diabolik has been overshadowed by that other 1968 psychedelic freak-out starring John Philip Law, Barbarella. That’s a shame because this is probably a better film and one of the great camp romps. The plot is a weedy thing but concentrate on the space-age stylings (Diabolik’s swingin’ hide-out, complete with circular bed) and mischievous set-pieces (the police stand no chance against a man who can devise schemes like these) and you’ll have a ball.

Danger: Diabolik is one of the great trash classics, a cheerful reminder of a multi-coloured age and one of the grooviest movies ever made.
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