Argoman the Fantastic Superman

Plot

In China soldiers have prepared to shoot Argoman, but he hypnotized them and they killed each other. Argoman then landed in USSR where he get his assignment. His hirers thought Chinese would kill him after he accomplishes destroying nuclear weapon mission, then there would be no need to pay him. Instead of ordinary paying Argoman took as a souvenir a jeweled box. Usually after mission he took souvenirs and among others values he has original Mona Lisa in his collection.

Scotland Yard inspector Lawrence arrives to the Tower and investigates theft of the Royal Crown. Sir Reginald Hoover (Argoman) trains to hold his breath under water in a pool and his servant Chandra tell him the result is 33 minutes 9 seconds. Then Sir Reginald is going to invite one of his girlfriends for rendezvous and picks English Samantha. Suddenly he hears a hovercraft nearing the shore. Sir Reginald uses his telekinetic powers to get hovercraft on the shore. From the hovercraft comes out a girl. She says her name is Regina. Sir Reginald invites her to spend time with him. Chandra is worried, because after intimate contact with woman Argoman losing his powers for six hours.

Inspector Lawrence comes to Sir Reginald and tells the Crown was returned with note from Jenabell, Queen of the World (Regina del Mondo or Queen Sullivan). She demands "Muradoff A IV". On the photographs of Tower visitors Sir Reginald recognizes Regina. Sir Reginald goes to Paris to find the criminal. Inspector Lawrence arrives at French Ministry of Technology and finds out that "Muradoff A IV" is a big gem with property of reflecting any sort of light and destroying molecular cohesion, rendering any material pliable. Police thinks Jenabell wants the gem for dividing and using on international market to crush currencies. Sir Reginald uses a ring with Geiger counter to find Jenabell, because she has smoked his special radioactive cigarettes. Jenabell and her men robs a bank. While they loading money into the car Sir Reginald hides among crates and then Argoman defeats robbers.

Jenabell throws down money from a plane and threats to use over 3 billion franks more unless she receive the gem. For appointment with her police chooses Sir Reginald. Jenabell recognized him and her agents tried to blow the bus. Sir Reginald then blindfolded (though he has x-ray vision) and Jenabell brings him to her base. There Argoman is trapped, but he manages to escape and save captured Samantha. Meantime Jenabell gets the gem and uses it for animate androids, clones of politicians. One of them, the minister, arrives to his office, where he had a confrontation with Argoman. Clone was destroyed and police thought Argoman is killer.

Sir Reginald visits ambassador La Bouche's reception, where determines the clones via his ring with Geiger counter. Samantha marks them with glowing lipstick and Argoman kills clones in darkness. Jenabell kidnaps American general Headwood as one of chiefs of nuclear forces, others she already cloned. Sir Reginald departs to her base on a train, but Jenabell's agent sabotages it. Nevertheless, Argoman arrives in time to save general Headwood from cloning. Superhero destroys other clones along with Jenabell's. Real Jenabell flees with "Muradoff A IV" on a plane. Argoman telekinetically turns the plane to the sun and the gem reflects its light causing explosion. As a souvenir for this case Argoman takes the Royal Crown.

Cast

Releasen

Argoman the Fantastic Superman was released in Italy in 1967. The film has also been released under the titles Argoman superdiaboco, The Fantastic Argoman and The Incredible Paris Incident. It has been released on DVD in the United States by the Dorado Films label.

Reception

The cast and crew of the film had differing views of the production, with Executive producer Edmondo Amati stating that "the idea was to make an Italian Superman of sorts, but we did not have the means or the technique" while actress Dominique Boschero was happy with the results of the film, stating that it was "something new, a film ahead of its time. Sergio Grieco was a rather good director and we had a higher budget than usual, and more locations as well."

From retrospective reviews, film critic Marco Giusti described the film as "super-camp", yet "very funny and very effective on its visual side". Roberto Curti referred to the film as one that "perfectly captures the spirit of 1960s Italian superheroes" by retaining the fumetti neri's "delightful amorality while squeezing the best from the many Italian James Bond rip-offs in terms of tongue-in-cheek fast-paced action." Curti proclaimed it "one of the funniest Italian superhero films of that period."