OSS 117 - Pulverfaß Bahia

Andre Hunebelle was the odd-job man of the French cinema.He made lousy comedies ("taxi roulotte et corrida"which featured Louis de Funes before he became the biggest comic actor of his time) .But I remember him best as a swashbuckler specialist :between 1959 in 1962,he directed Jean Marais -who had seen better days with Jean Cocteau's works- in four of those flicks .

By 1963,winds had shifted ,with the coming of James Bond."Furia à Bahia" was Hunebelle's third "OSS 117" effort.Unlike James Bond which was always played by Sean Connery till 1969,OSS 117 was the three- faced spy.First there was Kervin "Sinbad" Matthews and then John "imitation of life" Gavin,in the Italian episode.Hunebelle hired Frederick Stafford whose part may or may not help him become the lead in Hitchcok's "Topaz".

Hunebelle's movie can boast a nice cinematography.The magnificent Brazilian landscapes make up for the triteness of the story:another man who wants to rule the world.Mylene Demongeot (check her name :they tried to make her another BB)and Catherine Rouvel are gorgeous ladies.Raymond Pellegrin is an excellent villain ( although this earnest thespian deserves much better!) However ,I like Hunebelle's swashbucklers best ,for they were part of me and my best friend 's childhood.

1965's French-Italian "OSS 117 Mission for a Killer" (Furia a Bahia pour OSS 117 or Fury in Bahia for OSS 117) finds the completely unknown, Czech-born Frederick Stafford replacing Hollywood's Kerwin Mathews in the role of Colonel Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, better known to international audiences as secret agent OSS 117, cast only after a chance meeting with director Andre Hunebelle on location in Bangkok for previous entry "Shadow of Evil" ("how would you like to make movies with me?" "why not!"). Stafford acquits himself well considering this was his screen debut, similar to George Lazenby when called upon to use his fists in various well choreographed encounters, shooting in both Rio de Janeiro and the neighboring state of Bahia (hence the original title). A series of suicide deaths by hand grenade are perpetrated against political figures by trusted associates of each victim, under the evil influence of some type of mind altering drug, putting Hubert on the trail of a Brazilian organization seeking world domination. There's no shortage of action or pretty girls, and its production values are on par with the early James Bond titles. One hair breadth escape finds Hubert fending off a lighted blowtorch, while locations like Sugarloaf Mountain and the Iguazu Falls foreshadow the 1979 "Moonraker." It may be the best of Hunebelle's three OSS 117 films thus far, though perhaps a bit too leisurely at 99 minutes. Stafford only completed one other OSS film ("OSS 117 Mission to Tokyo") before starring in Alfred Hitchcock's "Topaz," whose box office failure was typically placed at his feet.

For a while, "OSS 117: Mission For A Killer" looks like it could be one of the very best of the 1960's Eurospy thrillers: Frederic Stafford actually makes a better James Bond-ish hero than either George Lazenby or Timothy Dalton, Mylène Demongeot is lovely, the fight scenes are often surprisingly technical (the one in a surgery room is the standout), and the production seems to be a bit more expensive than usual for the genre. Unfortunately, the film fizzles out in its last third, when the action moves from Rio to the Amazon jungle and the main villain's headquarters. The villain himself is one of the problems: everything about him is too vague, from his ultimate plan to his ultimate fate (the ending is unsatisfying). The print I saw was worn-out to the point of dis-coloration; this film needs a remastered DVD to do justice to its extensive on-location Brazilian shooting. **1/2 out of 4.

What atmosphere! What lovely girl (Mylène D)! 4,7 as an average? I must protest!! This is pure magic, the stuff that dreams are made of. Who cares about the story! This is for boys! Pure adventure, a fairy-tale! Will it ever occur on DVD? In France? This is just one film of still many, which has not reached the DVD-format yet although there are thousands of films which are so much badder than this one, which we had to endure on DVD. Probably this is due to the fact, that the people who know about these good films are becoming an extinct race.

This was director Andre Hunebelle's third crack at OSS 117, the hero of Jean Bruce's novels, and we consider it probably his best effort. OSS 117 Mission For a Killer has a lot going for it. Among them is Frederick Stafford. He's just right as the smart and tough Hubert Bonnisseur de la Bath. He has an easy air of capability about him and we were surprised to learn that this was his first film credit. Stafford, who died in a plane crash in 1979, played the same role in OSS 117 From Tokyo With Love and he made one other spy flick in the sixties; Agent 505 - Death Trap Beirut.

After four political assassinations occur inside a month, all perpetrated by drug-induced innocents, Stafford is sent to Rio to track down the source of the narcotic. Since it's Rio, we are treated to the prerequisite Carnival footage but it doesn't take up too much time. The Latin-inflected score by Michel Magne is just fine and in fact, blends well with the Rio and Bahia area locations. The film has plenty of action, good fights and intentional humor. Overall this is a superior example of the genre and well worth seeking out.