Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Two Undercover Angels Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf September 7, 2022

The 1960s belonged to James Bond. The literary character became a box office behemoth, capturing audience attention with spy game adventures featuring a roguish character and his never-ending quest to save the world. Bond dominated pop culture (and continues to do so to this day), and the success of the franchise inspired countless “Euro spy” imitators, with producers scrambling to make their own cheeky tales of danger and sex, hoping to make an easy profit. Joining the list of productions is 1969’s “Two Undercover Angels,” allowing prolific filmmaker Jess Franco to participate in a waning trend, forcing him to consider style and tone, giving him a brief break from his usual run-and-gun directorial habits.

The Two Lips Detective Agency consists of Diana (Janine Reynaud) and Regina (Rosanna Yanni), with the pair hired by Radeck (Adrian Hoven) to find a model who’s gone missing. Dealing in secretive ways, Diana and Regina set out to find clues, using their sexuality and smarts to manage easily duped men involved in the case, which involves the presence of art created by a madman using extreme fright to inspire horrific images.

Franco isn’t one to pay attention to storytelling details, with “Two Undercover Angels” offering an initial burst of characters and information without clearly identifying what’s going on. There’s a model who’s been taken by a monstrous man, and Radeck is looking for answers, turning to Two Lips, who work to cover their identities with hoods and pinched noses while talking on the phone. It’s not exactly a difficult tale of murder to follow, but Franco seems entirely against clarity, even refusing to name the female characters during the first act, relying on their attractiveness to define their personalities, with Diana playing backup to Regina, who uses her looks to access anywhere she pleases.

There are a lot of horny men in “Two Undercover Angels,” and Franco loves to stage scenes involving these clownish types and their lip-licking attraction to Regina, who happily works with what she’s got to extract information she needs. The production mostly deals with these comedic events, but Franco works in some mild gunplay and assassin happenings. And when that fails, he sends the characters to a local club, working to lengthen the film by photographing random dancers. Some personality shines in the endeavor, with Regina hopelessly dreaming of a future with Paul Newman, Frank Sinatra, or Dean Martin, and Franco tries to play up the swinging vibe of the decade with bright colors and glimpses of exotic locations. The mystery elements of “Two Undercover Angels” never gel, often ignored as Franco’s exploitation training takes over.

Two Undercover Angels Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is sourced from a 4K scan of the 35mm negative. Color is lush throughout the viewing experience, with deep primaries and brighter period hues, giving costuming and club visits a defined presence. Skin tones are natural, favoring the golden appearance of the lead actresses. Detail reaches as far as possible, providing a look at skin particulars, and clothing is fibrous. Interiors preserve decoration, and artwork retains texture. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is fine and film-like. Some mild scratches and speckling are encountered along the way.

Two Undercover Angels Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA mix provides a simple listening event, with dubbed dialogue exchanges remaining clear, occasionally running into mild sibilance issues. Scoring supports at a slightly lower volume, along with pop tunes for dance sequences. The main title sequence is definitely dialed down from the rest of the track. Sound effects are blunt.

Two Undercover Angels Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "The Red Lips Diaries" (46:08, HD) is an interview with film historian Stephen Thrower, who explores Jess Franco's desire to shoot "Two Undercover Angels" and "Kiss Me Monster" back-to-back, offered a chance to update a forgotten 1960 effort, "Labios Rojos." Thrower gets a little sidetracked at times, trying to out-reference himself to assert dominance, but he delivers interesting information about the productions and the actors, and goes into detail about dubbing and editing issues he claims ruined Franco's intended moviemaking rhythm.

• "Besame Monstruo" (84:34) and "El Caso De Las Dos Bellezas" (92:26) are the original Spanish versions of "Kiss Me Monster" and "Two Undercover Angels," sourced "from tape with newly translated English subtitles."

• "The Case of the Red Lips" (13:59, SD) is a 2006 interview with director Jess Franco, who recalls his desire to work with Janine Reynaud, looking for a project to present to the actress. "Two Undercover Angels" and "Kiss Me Monster" were shot back-to-back, using the same sets, with Franco sharing his approval of the process. The interviewee goes into the comic strip inspiration for both pictures, and details his time with co-star Rosanna Yanni, sharing how she became good friends with Reynaud during the shoot. Franco was aiming for Abbott and Costello energy from the characters, and he offers some information about costuming. He closes with a rant about different titles for a few of his endeavors.

• "Jess' Tangents" (22:27, SD) gives Jess Franco room to discuss random topics, including "LSD and Porn," "Spain Under Franco," "The Orson Welles Collection," and "Cinema."

• Photo Gallery #1 (5:48) collects press kit pages, film stills, publicity shots, and BTS snaps for "Kiss Me Monster."

• Photo Gallery #2 (2:42) collects poster art, film stills, publicity shots, BTS snaps, and press kit pages for "Two Undercover Angels."

• And Trailers (SD) for "Kiss Me Monster" (2:58) and "Two Undercover Angels" (3:04) are included.

Two Undercover Angels Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Two Undercover Angels" isn't a complete motion picture, lacking connective tissue and a more direct understanding of criminal activity, with only a vague understanding of motivation left behind at the end of the movie. One doesn't expect much from Franco when it comes to filmmaking nuance, but genre elements seem to snap him out of his usual slumber, periodically committed to creating a lively romp with fetching, scantily clad secret agents and their quest to prevent the continued manufacturing of macabre art.