Wednesday 27 June 2012

For Your Height Only (1981)

Secret Agent 00 (played by Weng Weng) is kind of like James Bond. He’s suave and sophisticated, an expert in martial arts, a crack shot and women throw themselves at him. There is one difference though - Agent 00 is just three feet tall! Welcome to the crazy world of For Your Height Only.

Made in the Philippines in 1981 and sometimes rendered (for some obscure reason) as For Y'ur Height Only, this is the ultimate midget spy movie.

The plot defies easy description just as it defies easy understanding. The diabolical criminal mastermind known as Mr Giant aims at world domination. For this he needs the super-weapon developed by Professor Kohler.

Mr Giant presides over a coalition of criminal gangs who are involved in smuggling drugs in loaves of bread. Only Agent 00 can stop him!


The agency for which Agent 00 works has infiltrated the beautiful Irma into Mr Giant’s organisation. She also possesses considerable martial arts skills and she will be Agent 00’s most useful ally. She is just one of Agent 00’s women - he is irresistible to the female sex.

Trying to follow the intricacies of the plot will give you a headache so it’s best just to enjoy the mayhem, of which there’s no shortage.


Agent 00 has the usual array of Bond-style gadgets including X-ray glasses which he mostly uses to see through women’s clothing. He also has a rocket-pack which propels the tiny secret agent through the air. Those bad guys he doesn’t despatch with guns he deals with using his martial arts skills. He also makes use of his diminutive stature, scuttling between bad guys’ legs and delivering kicks where it hurts most.

The music provides constant echoes of the classic James Bond theme emphasising the links between Agent 00 and Agent 007. The fights and the stuntwork are impressive with Weng Weng doing most of his own stunts (it’s not easy finding a stunt double for an actor who’s three feet tall).


Agent 00 also makes use of his skills at seduction. Women melt at the sight of his impressive miniature physique and his taste in leisure suits, not to mention his inherent sense of cool.

Weng Weng has an acting stye all his own. He might not be a great actor but it’s a style that works for him. This movie not only boasts a midget hero but a midget diabolical criminal mastermind as well - Mr Giant is about three-and-half feet tall! But his height advantage is no match for Agent 00’s fighting skills. The bad guys are there mostly for Agent 00 to kill and the body count is impressively high. There are plenty of glamorous women on hand, all of whom fall for Agent 00’s charms.


The DVD from Mondo Macabro includes various extras including a second feature film - one of the numerous Bruce Lee rip-offs produced after the actor’s untimely death, this one starring an actor known as Bruce Le.

Movies don’t come much weirder than For Your Height Only. Recommended for devotees of the bizarre.

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