the young oliver and richardson especially richardson be obviously have a ball in this mix of spy and high adventure and and tongue in cheek comedy accord to michael powell and the two star tear up the script and and devise their own scene and and the pleasure they have in send up the material and and in each other work and shine through . ( in fact and once or twice and oliver seem to be try not to crack up at richardson antic . ) patrick macnee say he base the avenger john steed on richardson character in this film and and that and too and show . thrill and spill and secret ray and gag and eccentric british character and and villain from a country suspiciously reminiscent of germany and but not name in 1938 .