Jess Franco’s Two Undercover Angels serves up mod-era sleaze with a wink and a shrug, but its psychedelic style can’t disguise the limp thrills underneath.

As far as Euro pulp oddities go, Two Undercover Angels—aka Rote Lippen, Sadisterotica—might be one of Jess Franco’s more playful deviations. On paper, it’s a mod-era mash-up of pop art, pulp thrills, and soft sleaze: two stylish female detectives from the “Red Lips” agency are on the trail of missing models and dancers. Their investigation leads them to Klaus Thriller, a sinister pop artist with a penchant for painting corpses, and his werewolf-esque henchman, Morpho.

But beneath its colourful veneer, Two Undercover Angels struggles to keep its footing. The plot is both wafer-thin and weirdly convoluted, more concerned with psychedelic set pieces and lounge room flirtations than any real sense of momentum. There’s a certain charm to Franco’s anything-goes attitude, but this one too often feels like a parody without punch, skimming the surface of spy pastiche without offering much intrigue.

Still, there’s no denying the camp value. The film is drenched in candy-coloured lighting, groovy outfits, and suggestive camera work that borders on the absurd. It’s Euro camp through and through—like a budget Bond fantasy filtered through a lava lamp and shot on the run. Lovers of kitsch might find some delight in the film’s unabashed frivolity, but those looking for coherence, or even competent thrills, may walk away bemused.

Franco fans will recognise familiar touches: nonsensical plotting, dreamy eroticism, and the ever-present air of detachment. But even by his standards, this feels like an undercooked entry. The “Red Lips” duo never quite click as compelling protagonists, and while Morpho adds a dose of monster movie weirdness, he’s more curious footnote than actual menace.

Two Undercover Angels is a wild title for a limp romp—cheeky in intent but dull in execution. There’s pop-art potential here, but much like Klaus Thriller’s paintings, its mostly just lifeless models draped in excess.

• Saul Muerte