L'homme qui valait des milliards

By and large, I don't go much for Michel Boisrond's stuff ,a director who made bombs by the dozen ,but this thriller is entertaining , full of sudden new developments , which only knows one tempo :accelerated ;never a dull moment ,and some gripping scenes , the fight on the quais de la Seine where Frederick Stafford's steel fists make short work of his opponents , the meeting in the movie theater where they screen RG Springsteen's 'Taggart " ( French title: 5000$ mort ou vif ) .Besides ,there's a good use of the filming on location in Morocco ,notably the Chouara tanners ,a place where it awfully stinks .

The supporting cast is efficient , notably Raymond Pellegrin , who would later play again with the lead , as the former collaborator in the occupation days ,Peter Van Eyck as the nazi who kidnaps him ,and gorgeous brunette Anny Duperrey who "kisses well" and has enjoyed a long career in France ,still buoying today .As for Stafford ,it was only natural for the director to cast him as a secret agent ,after directing him in the mediocre French answer to James Bond , "OSS 117 atout coeur à Tokyo ".

This thriller can be saved for a rainy day, but one can wonder why they all dream of wealth while searching for forged currency ,all the same!