British agent Bulldog Drummond (Richard Johnson) is pitted against a megalomaniac oil baron and his two beautiful but deadly female assassins in the 1967 film, DEADLIER THAN THE MALE. They were played by Elke Sommer (b 1940) and Sylva Koscina (1933 - 1994).
Irma Eckman (Sommer) is a glamorous assassin, who first appears disguised as an air stewardess. She kills oil tycoon Henry Keller with a booby-trapped cigar aboard his private jet, and parachutes away before the plane explodes. She is picked up by a speedboat driven by her partner in crime, the equally beautiful Penelope (Koscina).
The villainous pair then murder David Wyngarde, making it look like a spear fishing accident.
Soon Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond (Richard Johnson) is asked to investigate the suspicious deaths.
They gleefully eliminate their boss's competitors using their seductive female wiles as well as bullet-shooting cigars, poison, spear guns and bombs. They love their work as well as each other (the script implies a catty lesbian relationship).
Irma and Penelope kills Henry Bridgenorth who is in vocal opposition to their boss' directorship of the cartel board, and then take out Wyngarde's servant Carloggio. Penelope then delivers a box of the deadly cigars to Drummond's flat while he is out. Brenda (Virginia North), a girl Drummond's nephew Robert has brought back to the flat, narrowly escapes the same fate as Keller.
The next day, Irma makes Phoenician another proposition to get the oil concession in the country of Akmata. Meanwhile, Penelope abducts and tortures Robert, burning him with a small cigar, but he tells her nothing. Drummond follows Irma back to their flat and is able to rescue Robert before he can be blown up by a bomb left behind by the two women. Irma does away with Weston, another Phoenecian board member.
Irma attempts to seduce Drummond to distract him, but to her fury, he rejects her advances. Penelope is more successful and spend the night in Drummond's bed.
Peterson gives his woman, Grace (Suzanna Leigh) a second chance, after she tells him she was interested in leaving him. Drummond soon learns that Peterson had planted a bomb somewhere on Grace's person, and he planned for her to blow up along with King Fedra.
Drummond and Robert race to the King's yacht, capturing Irma and Penelope along the way, and bringing them along. When Irma and Penelope refuse to tell him where the bomb is hidden, Drummond searches Grace for the explosive. They strip her naked and throw her overboard. When the guard holding Irma and Penelope at gunpoint is distracted by the beautiful Grace, the deadly pair escape. As they race away in a speed boat, Irma reveals that the bomb had been placed in Grace's hairclip. Penelope is aghast, having envied Grace's chignon, and admits that she stole it and was wearing it. The two assassins are killed when the boat explodes. Meanwhile, Drummond and Robert dive into the sea to rescue Grace.
Notes[]
- A sequel to this film was released in 1969 called Some girls do. Again 2 female assassin partners were featured, Helga and Pandora.
- Elke Sommer appeared as Linka Karensky in the 1969 Matt Helm spy film, "The Wrecking Crew".
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