Schüsse aus dem Geigenkasten

Robberies of a significant amount of cash from a home safe in Pasadena and gold bars from a family farm outside of Chicago are tied together by the bullets being fired from the same weapon used to kill the occupants. That gets the FBI involved and Jerry Cotton and Phil Decker put on the case. They suspect that there is a gang readying another big heist in the Big Apple. Jerry finds a lame way to infiltrate the gang (as a drunk he beats up the members of the gang impressing the leader). While some of the plot does lack credibility it is an action packed film that moves along at a good pace. There are similarities to Death and Diamonds in the plot with Jerry gaining the affections and confidence of gang moll, in this case Sylvia Pascal, to help crack the case. However, this movie has more depth in the storyline and makes it a more enjoyable viewing. The unusual musical score throughout is an additional bonus. Recommended especially if you enjoy crime dramas.

I saw SCHUSSE AUS DEM GEIGENKASTEN under the English title OPERATION HURRICANE: FRIDAY NOON. It was dubbed, and it was great. George Nader plays Jerry Cotton, F.B.I. agent who works mostly in the New York City area in this first installment of the German action/thriller series from the 1960's. Jerry Cotton was Germany's answer to James Bond. In comparison to the Bond films, the Jerry Cotton movies are not as "posh", but they are better stories. OPERATION HURRICANE is the first and best of the series. The story is very interesting, with a few turns to keep the viewer going up to the end. Peter Thomas did the music for the Jerry Cotton films, and it is the best spy music I have ever heard. I have a difficult time getting the theme out of my head. Two soundtracks were released for the series, one contained dialogue from this particular film (in German, of course). This film has a very cool "sixties secret agent" look, feel, and sound to it. If you're in the mood for a different approach to the spy genre, cozy up to SCHUSSE AUS DEM GEIGENKASTEN. It'll be worth it.

The first film to feature George Nader as Jerry Cotton. Jerry Cotton was Germany's answer to James Bond. In comparison, what the Jerry Cotton films lack in production excel in story. The plot for OPERATION HURRICANE: FRIDAY NOON is very interesting, much more complex than simply a spy going after a super-criminal. The acting may be a tad stiff at times, and this version is dubbed, so the dialogue may be a bit goofy due to translation problems. OPERATION HURRICANE: FRIDAY NOON is the first Jerry Cotton F.B.I. thriller, the best of the series, and, unfortunately, the only one available in America. Peter Thomas wrote the music for all of the "COTTON" films. This music is the best spy music I have ever heard. I understand that the two original vinyl releases on the Polydor label, "Jerry Cotton-F.B.I." and the soundtrack to "OPERATION HURRICANE" are very rare and much sought after. This film fits very well into the current retro trend, especially for the 60's spy film fans out there. Very interesting and cool movie.

With the success of the James Bond films, it isn't surprising that film companies around the world tried to cash in on this success with their own secret agents. There were Italian and German James Bond-type super heroes in the 60s and agent Jerry Cotton (George Nader) was the German Bond-like guy...sort of. They made eight Jerry Cotton films with this same actor...and "The Violin Case Murders" is the first of them.

It's obvious at the start this film lacks the budget of a Bond film. After all, it's in black & white even though all four Bond pictures up to that time were in full color. Additionally, the opening song and much of the music sucks...and is nothing like you'd expect for a spy flick. It seems, at times, as if the music was just chosen randomly. Likewise, sometimes New York locales were badly rear projected to make it (kinda) look like they're in the city...a bit sloppy.

As for Agent Cotton, he's NOT exactly a Bond-type...at least in this film. Instead of some international organization of evil or communism, Cotton is with the FBI...which is a domestic organization. In this case, his quarry is less global...it's a gang who apparently is going to blow up a school in New York City...but which one and when, Cotton is recruited to find out personally. So he infiltrates the gang and becomes an apparent trusted member. Can he manage to pull this off and save the kids AND himself AND capture the evil thugs?

Despite the bad music and cheap production values, this is a pretty exciting film. I like that Cotton is NOT a sexy guy who beds women but is a bit more believable. But he's also a great fighter...sort of like a fighting machine...so he's not completely 'normal'! The film is well enough made and has an interesting plot...enough to make me want to see more of these films.