Originally titled OK Connery and released 1967 in the United States as Operation Kid Brother, Operation Double 007 is an Italian parody that cashed in on the popularity of James Bond which is known for:
- It stars Neil Connery, the younger brother of Sean Connery himself.
- In addition to co-starring Bond series regulars Bernard "M" Lee and Lois "Moneypenny" Maxwell, the cast also includes veteran 007 actors Daniela Bianchi (Tatiana Romanova from From Russia with Love), Adolfo Celi (Largo from Thunderball) and Anthony Dawson (Prof. Dent from Dr. No and Blofeldnote in From Russia with Love and Thunderball).
- The score is by Ennio Morricone. Yes, that Ennio Morricone.
- The film was distributed by United Artists even at the same time they were handling the legitimate James Bond film rights.
The plot involves some secret information on microfilm as well as other information stored in the mind of a woman through psychic means. Our hero is brought in to save the day after the bad guys (Thanatos) nab the woman with the mental information, and kill her husband to boot. Their plan? To rule the world. Why Neil? He was the woman's plastic surgeon, and just happens to also be a skilled hypnotist who knows how to open her Neuro-Vault. Although he turns out to have quite a few other talents...
For the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version, please go to the episode recap page.
Tropes:
- Action Girl: Unexpectedly, Lois Maxwell's Moneypenny expy is much more action-oriented than in the official film series, even carrying a mini machine gun.
- Amazon Brigade/Bodyguard Babes: Beta has them as half of the crew on his luxury yacht when they're not out doing his dirty work for him.
- Artistic License – Nuclear Physics: One MacGuffin is an "atomic nucleus." Strictly speaking, the villain should already have billions of trillions of them. Calling it an "atomic/nuclear bomb core" could have fixed the confusion.
- As Himself: Neil Connery plays... Neil Connery, only the Marty Stu version.
- Bilingual Backfire: Neil tries to pretend to be one of the blind Turkish workers when he unexpectedly runs into Beta, and speaks Arabic to him. However, Beta reveals that he understands Arabic perfectly well, and unfortunately Neil's ability with the language "dates from the time of the Crusades."
- Celebrity Paradox: Apparently, Sean Connery is the UK's top agent, not James Bond. Say what?
- Chekhov's Gun: Two examples from the uncut version — Mildred's ballistic knife
and a special powder that Beta mixes into his champagne. He uses such a knife to kill Alpha and the powder protects him from Alpha's poisoned water. - Chekhov's Skill: Neil’s lip reading ability.
- Contrived Coincidence: The agent who had to ditch his wedding in Spain just happens to be honeymooning in Germany when Neil meets back up with him before the final showdown.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Once Maya alerts her henchwomen Beta will kill them, their battle against his thugs atop the yacht (along with Neil taking on Beta and a few of his men inside) is pretty much one-sided, even before they switch from fisticuffs to gun-play.
- Disposable Woman: The first half of the movie is devoted to tracking down the kidnapped Yasuko for her Neuro-Vault. As soon as she gives up the necessary Plot Coupon, she is shot by the local Femme Fatale, who is herself shot by some other guy before a minute has even passed, just to get these characters out of the way. Neil's Dull Surprise at the death of his own patient sure sums up how the movie treats women. Then again, Maya and her fellow ladies hold their own in the yacht scene, so at least they avert this trope.
- Dreadful Musician: The band performing at the airport. Neil looks visibly annoyed having to stand next to them.
- Expy: In addition to the Moneypenny and M expies, one of the villains is pretty clearly based off of Rosa Klebb, except somewhat nicer, and more obviously lesbian. Adolfo Celi also plays a variation of his character from Thunderball.
- Femme Fatale: Mildred, who is ordered to flirt with Connery and isn't all too subtle about it. So much so that Neil easily extracts important information from her after their third "chance" encounter. She dies right after Yasuko.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: Pause when Maya & her villainesses finish camouflaging the vehicle. The text says "The Wild Pussy Club." If Joel & the 'Bots noticed it, it was presumably "too hot to riff."
- Hollywood Magnetism: Thanatos' plot is to build a huge electromagnetic device that renders all metallic devices (including guns) useless, which is why the last battle involves horses and long bows.
- Hypnotic Eyes: Neil's character is a skilled hypnotist to the point where he can send rather complex commands, using just his eyes.
- Improbable Weapon User: One spy uses a ballistic knife, and quite well.
- Instant Death Stab: The man guarding Miss Yasuko is stabbed in the chest by a blade shot from a spring-loaded knife. He doesn't utter a sound and falls dead in about three seconds.
- Karma Houdini: Maya and her girls get off for all the crimes they committed for Thanatos — including murder and stealing a nuclear weapon — because they turned against Beta in self-defense.
- Killed Mid-Sentence: Yasuko is murdered while Neil is questioning her under hypnosis, mainly because he does so in an open area by himself instead of waiting to take her to a secure area first or at least getting someone to guard them.
- Meet Cute: Mildred, a Thanatos agent sent to seduce and interrogate Neil, does this with him. Three times. In several wildly distant locations, making him running into her while she's allegedly trying to find something so many times downright suspicious. By the third time, Neil figures out that she's doing it on purpose and proceeds to hypnotize and interrogate her.
- Mook–Face Turn: Beta's Amazon Brigade turns on him once Neil tells their leader that they're about to be on the wrong side of Beta's Chronic Backstabbing Disorder. They end up sailing away with Neil on Beta's yacht.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Thanatos. In Greek mythology, Thanatos was the personification of Death. Does that sound like the name of anything that's up to any good?
- Neuro-Vault: The Asian woman that Neil performed plastic surgery on was hypnotized to remember plot-critical information that she can only discuss while hypnotized; Neil is one of the only hypnotists capable of getting her to repeat the information.
- Obvious Stunt Double: The guy in the fight scene with Neil in the long shots is noticeably skinnier than Adolfo Celi; he looks more like Steve Martin.
- Plot Hole: What the radioactive rugs would be used for is never really explained. The newly-married agent explains that they're being shipped to Istanbul. But the "device-jamming machine" is in Germany...
- Pretty in Mink: When Mildred first meets Neil, she's dressed as a socialite, complete with a white fox hat and muff.
- Same Language Dub: Neil's dialogue was dubbed by an American actor. This was because Connery was had appendicitis while English voice dubbing of the film was in progress. (Ironically, Connery was originally noticed and considered for this film based on the producer hearing his Sean-like speaking voice on the radio.) On the other hand, M and Miss Maxwell were dubbed by their original actors (Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell respectively).
- The Schlub Pub Seduction Deduction: While a pub isn't involved, the Amazon Brigade sent to obtain the "atomic nucleus" dresses up in can-can dancer costumes (also, skunk costumes; for some reason) and pretends to have a breakdown, using their frilly skirts to flag down the hapless soldiers guarding it. Some poison darts later...
- The Starscream: Beta plans to create a Body Double of Alpha, then murder his boss and put his lookalike flunky in his place, making him de facto leader of Thanatos. He makes three totally unnecessary mistakes while doing so. First, he tells other members of the Thanatos council about it. Second, he does so without having even secured the services of the plastic surgeon needed to create the double, much less created the double. Third, the only plastic surgeon he can think of employing is Neil, who by that point is a known enemy.
- We Are Not Going Through That Again: At the end of the film, M says that Connery did so well that he'd like to offer him a permanent position. Connery promptly hypnotizes him into forgetting that he'd planned on making the offer and returning to London.
