Operazione Goldman [Lightning Bolt] (1966)

(On TV, December 2021) The 1960s were rife with films trying to cash in on the James Bond craze, and considering that very few of them lasted the test of time, seeing them pop up now and again on classic movie channels feels as if there’s an almost-inexhaustible supply of them just lurking under the surface of respectable retro cinema. Lightning Bolt, reflecting the qualities of what would later become imitative Italian cinema, runs off with all of what it could steal from Dr. No to provide a better-than-average Bond imitation—the average being abysmal. The plot? Stopping a dastardly plot to destroy American rockets launched from Cape Canaveral. The setting of the third act? An underwater base not too far from the Bahamas. The protagonist? A super-competent, super-womanizing, dark-haired suave special agent with an unlimited expense account. The scenery? Mostly made of a succession of attractive women. All according to the template. What Lightning Bolt does better than the usual Bond imitator, though, is found in a few ideas halfway developed, the fantasy aspect of being able to buy whatever is required (including a yacht) and some dialogue that, even in translation, isn’t too bad at all. It’s not a good movie and its appeal is gradually dulled by far too many repetitive sequences indifferently executed by director Anthony Dawson, but if you’re going to watch Bond rip-offs, I can think of several worse examples than Lightning Bolt.