The Avengers Forever: Visitor Review

	Visitor Reviews Page 12 of 164

The Sell-Out
by Frankymole, Bristol

What, no plot? Loads of filmed exterior location footage which goes nowhere fast (mainly of Steed jumping into cars and zooming about the streets, paying at a parking meter, then driving some more, being followed... Zzzz). This flat story barely breaks into a standstill.

The Avenged?: Some tedious piffle about protection for a French/UK/UN negotiator and a mole in Steed's department. Who knows? Who cares?

Diabolical Masterminds?: Harvey's motivation is the only three-dimensional aspect of the whole tired mess (he has a terminal illness, and wants to provide for his wife). However he is too nasty to be a sympathetic character.

The Avengers?: Steed gets a new boss: 20 years before appearing in Dr Who, Arthur Hewlett (One-Twelve) was already ancient! Jon Rollason as Dr King gets a dull task or two, his nurse Judy (from "Mission to Montreal") appears (but only in a filler, to answer the phone whilst the other actors change sets). There is a nice scene where Steed tries to cajole a grumbling King into helping him: "Do I ever come round needing your help? I don't even know where you live," and (tiredly) "Listen Steed, from now on I'm just going to be a doctor. I'm not going to be anything else. I'm not going be an agent, a counterspy, a gunman, a cover for you, or anything you can use in your business... so you can just leave me in peace." King fights! Not up to Cathy Gale standards, but he performs a nice rugby tackle on the gunman — then seems to get carried away, as Steed has to prevent King pistol-whipping the poor fellow.

Umbrella, Charm and a Bowler Hat?: Steed wows the ladies at a cocktail party (where he drinks whisky and soda): "What a charming man," ad-libs the rather pale lady whom he has just complimented on her tan (!). Steed's elegance is admired by the French diplomat he impersonates. Everyone makes a fuss of how beautiful Harvey's wife is, but it's impossible to see why (and she drops teaspoons all over the place).

Bizarre?: One assassin poses as a workman, but doesn't know what his target looks like, and decides shooting Steed from a distance is better than when he is just three feet away, only to get jumped by King. D'oh! The chief assassin apparently thinks it's a good idea to try to carry out his task from the centre of a packed press room, in the middle of security at 'London Airport'. Did he expect to get away with it? And, politely, he waits whilst his target completes a twenty-minute speech, allowing Steed to catch up with him. One-Twelve looks on approvingly... or more like he's forgotten his lines. The whole story is dull and lazy.

Half a bowler, for Dr King standing up to Steed.