Matchless (film)

Matchless (also known as Mission Top Secret) is a 1967 Italian science fiction-comedy film directed by Alberto Lattuada.^[1] It parodies the spy film genre.^[2]

Matchless
US film poster
Directed by	Alberto Lattuada
Screenplay by	Dean Craig Jack Pulman Luigi Malerba Alberto Lattuada
Dialogue by	Jack Pulman
Story by	Ermanno Donati
Produced by	Ermanno Donati Luigi Carpentieri
Starring	Patrick O'Neal Ira Furstenberg Donald Pleasence Henry Silva Nicoletta Machiavelli Howard St. John Sorrell Booke
Cinematography	Alessandro D'Eva
Edited by	Franco Fraticelli
Music by	Ennio Morricone Gino Marinuzzi Jr.
Production company	Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date	13 August 1967 (1967-08-13)
Running time	104 minutes
Country	Italy
Language	English

Cast

• Patrick O'Neal as Perry "Matchless" Liston
• Ira Fürstenberg as Arabella
• Donald Pleasence as Gregori Andreanu
• Henry Silva as Hank Norris
• Nicoletta Machiavelli as Tipsy
• Sorrell Booke as Colonel Coolpepper
• Howard St. John as General Shapiro
• Jacques Herlin as O-Chin's Doctor

Reception

In a contemporary review, Variety stated that "if audiences are not yet satiated with spy spoofs, United Artists' Matchless may get an appreciative reception from the action market."^[3] The review noted that "the film doesn't take itself too seriously and makes some clever gibes at the expense of military and intelligence powers of all nationalities", but that "uneven acting and technical credits hamper the film's chances of rising above programmer status."^[3]