No. 1 of the Secret Service Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

No. 1 of the Secret Service Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 13, 2024

Lindsay Shonteff's "No. 1 of the Secret Service" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber The supplemental features on the release include new program with editor John Luton; new audio commentary by critics Alan Spencer and Algernon Griffiths; deleted scenes; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Charles Bind a.k.a. Agent Number One exists for the same reason Dick Mallory a.k.a. Agent 077 and Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond do. Bind is a James Bond copycat. It is very easy to make a case that he is the most flawed of the three, but this is pretty much the reason his adventures are worth spending a few nights with.

Why is Bind the most flawed Bond copycat? Most of the time he does not behave like a gentleman, but a reformed hitman who has adopted a new personality after agreeing to work for the government. He is a bit of a loose cannon obsessed with his two giant Magnum revolvers and a womanizer who spends more time claiming beautiful ladies rather than seducing them, as Bond would. His attitude overshadows his style. He is not exactly a sharp thinker, either. In other words, despite his suggestive last name, Bind does not have much in common with Bond.

Furthermore, Bind’s playground does not have much in common with the ones where his competitors roam free, which is something that almost singlehandedly makes him look very different. Despite visiting a few posh private properties and clubs, his environment remains strikingly modest, almost working class, populated by characters that never show glitz and glamour to impress. In each of the three films director Lindsay Shonteff made about Bind -- No.1 of the Secret Service (1977), Undercover Lover (1979), and Number One Gun (1990) -- he is played by different actors, too. Mallory and the Bulldog were always played by the same actors.

In No.1 of the Secret Service, Bind is played by Nicky Henson, who is neither great nor terrible in front of Shonteff’s camera. Bind is tasked to discover why various very wealthy individuals are being taken out, but after quickly identifying the man (Richard Todd) benefiting from their premature death, he becomes a target for the bizarre organization K.R.A.S.H., which specializes in Killing, Rape, Arson, Slaughter, and Hit. As Bind attempts to figure out how his work on the high-profile murders and involvement with K.R.A.S.H. are related, all hell breaks loose.

The many scattered ends of the narrative and wild swings between sleazy comedy and goofy action make No.1 of the Secret Service one seriously unpredictable film, which almost certainly will be an issue for anyone expecting it to be a light and easy to digest Eurospy affair. A lot of the chatter in it is pretty strange, too. However, this is where the film’s entertainment value comes from because Henson keeps moving forward and Shonteff keeps shooting with his camera, producing amusing out-of-left-field material that after a while begins to work. Sort of. An appreciation for this kind of B-level filmmaking is definitely needed because the line separating the amusing and bad is indeed quite thin.

Shonteff’s entire body of work is like No.1 of the Secret Service. It sounds terrific when described on paper, but its quality is an acquired taste. However, virtually all of Schonteff’s work has unique personality and undeniable historical value. (This is the exact reason years ago the British Film Institute included Schonteff’s film Permissive in its Flipside series). Also, Schonteff had an interesting sense of humor that often inspired cheeky material which nowadays looks borderline provocative. For these reasons, Schonteff’s films deserve to be unearthed and reintroduced on the market.

*The two Bulldog films are already out on Blu-ray. They are Deadlier Than the Male (1967) and Some Girls Do (1969). The three Mallory films are not yet out on Blu-ray. They are Agent 077: Mission Bloody Mary (1965), Agent 077: From the Orient with Fury (1965), and Special Mission Lady Chaplin (1966).

No. 1 of the Secret Service Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.38:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, No. 1 of the Secret Service arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

It is easy to tell that the film has been fully remastered because the overall quality of the visuals is very good. In fact, had someone spent a bit of time to rebalance the colors in a few areas, such as the prologue, where a light greenish hue becomes too prominent, I would have declared that the technical presentation is outstanding. In the past, to the best of my knowledge, this film could be seen only on very shoddy VHS release that had it cropped, so to see it look as it does on the Blu-ray is quite the revelation. Also, delineation, clarity, and depth are consistently very, very good, so even on a large screen, all visuals remain enormously attractive. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Some minor cosmetic work could be done to ensure that all visuals are immaculate, but I did not see any distracting age-related imperfections to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

No. 1 of the Secret Service Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The lossless track is very healthy. However, However, it won't take you long to realize that the creators of No. 1 of the Secret Service did not spend a lot of resource on the soundtrack. It is not disappointing or problematic, but the sound design, including in areas where there is action and/or music is used, is very, very basic. All exchanges are clear, stable, and easy to follow. I would describe balance as very good, though in a few areas modern technology could introduce minor but meaningful adjustments.

No. 1 of the Secret Service Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by Alan Spencer, creator of Sledge Hammer, and Algernon Griffiths, author of The Other Spies: The Many Imitators of James Bond. It is a pretty amusing commentary, and I mean this in a good way, because the two gentlemen frequently head in different directions at the same time, mostly due to missing British and American references and specific points that the other side cannot immediately grasp. No. 1 of the Secret Service is similarly amusing and unpredictable, perhaps even hilarious, too. Needless to say, the commentary is an instant classic.

• Interview with Editor John Luton - in this new program, editor John Luton recalls the exact moment when he was offered the opportunity to work on No. 1 of the Secret Service, the heavily unionized working environment at the time and how Lindsay Shonteff navigated it, the reasons why the film was shot on Techniscope, and the shooting process. Luton also mentions a hilarious repetitive failure involving Richard Todd. In English, not subtitled. (29 min).

• Deleted Scenes - presented here are several scenes cut for the American release of No. 1 of the Secret Service, sourced from a British VHS release. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• The Irrepressible Lindsay Shonteff - this exclusive new video essay was created by critic Chris O'Neill. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for No. 1 of the Secret Service. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

No. 1 of the Secret Service Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Charles Bind, Dick Mallory, and Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond belong to a pretty big gang of James Bond copycats, each with unique strengths and weaknesses. Some people cannot tolerate their antics, but I like these guys a lot. Bind, as played by Nicky Henson, is one of the most flawed copycats, promoting an attitude that effectively overshadows his style, which is pretty much the only way a B-film like No. 1 of the Secret Service can be made to excite. Hopefully, the remaining two films with Bind, Undercover Lover (1979) and Number One Gun (1990), will be made available on Blu-ray as well. RECOMMENDED.