I'd forgotten this film. At the time, it felt like Bond light but revisiting it half a century later, it's a minor gem. Judged as a movie, it's barely a six but with the perspective of distance it's better. No obvious sets, as far as I could tell all the interiors matched the exteriors. Drummond's apartment in Albert Hall Mansions is really there. I knew the area and those apartments intimately in the 60s. Sure, it lacks the high camp appeal of the Modesty Blaise flick but this really is the way it was. The two girls have a much more complex role than in any Bond movie and their relationship is hilarious. We're in Killing Eve territory. Yes, the usual britflick issues surface in the fight scenes, particularly judged by current standards, but take it for what it is today and it's thoroughly entertaining. There was a second Bulldog Drummond film which I haven't seen but it lacks Nigel Green's wonderful villain and by all accounts is inferior. If you're tempted to read the books, know that they're very different. I like them but their mix of sadism, snobbery and xenophobia will offend delicate minds that need a safe space.
Review of Deadlier Than the Male
