I didn't dislike this film, but also found it to be very slight and very forgettable. In many ways, this film is highly reminiscent of the earlier film, THE GREAT RACE. Both are set in a similar time period, both feature a lot of over-the-top performances and both have a silly musical style about them (though the music in THE ASSASSINATION BUREAU was a lot more annoying--particularly the singing). The film does not take itself very seriously and as comedy, it almost hits the mark. I wonder, though, if this might have been a much more interesting film if it had been done as serious drama instead of kitsch. The basic plot of an international murder for hire organization is pretty intriguing. The problem is, this topic really had very little depth in the film as it was mostly played for laughs. I appreciate the effort, but it just didn't do much for me.

THE ASSASSINATION BUREAU is a strange and unwieldy historical comedy that could only have been made in the late '60s, coming as it does hot on the heels of the likes of OH, WHAT A LOVELY WAR! It's based on a novel by Jack London which was unfinished at the time of his death. An all-star cast spearheads the remarkable and unbelievable story of an international league of assassin who go around blowing up a cast of minor cameoing British stars (Frank Thornton, Milton Reid) in the hilarious opening sequence. Diana Rigg is the intrepid reporter hot on their heels, and what follows is a farcical storyline with various bewigged stars (Curt Jurgens, Telly Savalas) chewing the scenery in an increasingly serious storyline. Oliver Reed remains a towering presence as always and the airship climax is well handled despite the paucity of the special effects work. It's not really a great or even good film, but it is an interesting one.

This is a delight in practically every way with Oliver Reed and Diana Rigg completely winning as former adversaries who team up to prevent the assassination of all the crowned heads of Europe. The film starts on a high comic level with filmed footage of assassinations through the bureau that are absolutely hysterical and we'll keep you in stitches in spite of their macabre intentions. Rigg, opposed to the killing of human beings for whatever reason, decides to take matters into her own hands and hires read for the ultimate assassination, presenting him with a huge bag of money. The victim? Himself! Pleased with the challenge of escaping assassination, read presents this challenge to the board of directors of the assassination bureau and tells them that if they can't kill him, he will kill each and every one of them. Pretty soon, it's the coyote chasing the roadrunner, and members of the assassination bureau keep going over the cliff in the most amusing of ways. Rigg and read eventually join forces after an evening in a Parisian brothel where everything that can go wrong for those after Reed does go wrong.

Set in the early 1900s, this is a glorious and glossy view of a turning point in world history, taken to extremes and exciting from start to finish. It is funny, romantic, action-packed and absolutely thrilling. among those involved in the plot include Telly Savalas, Clive Revill and Beryl Reid, but the chemistry between Reed and Rigg is so good that you can't help rooting for them over the fun cartoon like villains. They are absolutely bumbling in every way shape or form in their attempts to killed Reed, weather locking him in a room and filling it with poison gas or putting a bomb into a sausage. You know that something funny is going to happen right before he is about to succumb that will turn the tables. Rigg gets to wear the most fabulous outfits, and in the scene in the locked room with poison gas, there are some very funny visuals concerning her character. She is also tough and very much ahead of her time, nobody to mess with. That makes this film so much fun that you will want to visit this bureau again and again.