Furia à Bahia pour OSS 117

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.

Wow, so much to like here! Frederick Stafford (a Slovakian by birth, came late to acting) is lean and handsome. I count three gorgeous ladies in the cast. I watched it on the recent dvd release--print looks very good. Our story begins in Europe, but almost immediately shifts to an assignment in Brazil for OSS-117. Fine use of the Brazilian locations is made by the director. We see the famous beaches and the mountains. The movie has a very good look--nothing cheap or low-budget about it. 117 tools around in a cool burgundy rental car, a model I don't know. The film has a number of crazy, wild action scenes that are very entertaining! Two, in particular, are as good as anything in a James Bond movie. There is a big, no-holds barred finale. This is just a kick-ass good movie! I've seen a lot of Euro-spy films; I've never seen one better than this.

The third entry in the French OSS 117 movie series in the 1960s should have worked a lot better than it actually does. It had what looks like a decent budget, and much of the movie was shot on location in Brazil. But this attempt to emulate the world wide popular British James Bond movies falls flat for the most part. The biggest reason the movie fails is that it is really boring. The movie's story moves at a snail's pace, and you never get the feeling that lives are at stake. There is also very little action, and while there are a couple of okay hand to hand combat sequences, otherwise the action is flatly staged and directed. Even the climatic sequence feels slow and unexciting. Another reason why the movie fails to engage the viewer is the casting of Frederick Stafford as the secret agent. While some of the blame has to do with how the director told him to act, he has to share some of the blame for coming across as annoyingly smug. This is the weakest OSS 117 movie so far in the series, but I have two more entries to watch, and I won't be surprised if the quality continues to weaken as it goes along further.

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.

A secret agent (Frederick Stafford) is called to investigate a series of suicide attacks. However, he soon learns about a drug (a toxin derived from flowers) created by an organisation that has the ability to control a person.

Great location shots, plenty of action, more than the previous OSS 117's, though it still grounded espionage work, and some impressive hand to hand combat; they are well choreographed ( there's no picking up furniture and smashing it over some one - just pure hand to hand; cool judo throws and inventive blocking techniques - there an especially impressive fight scene involving a flame thrower and a cool jungle showdown.

Of course, the story is good, has enough intrigue mystery and danger to keep your attention. The production values are slick- Frederick Stafford is very good, suave but sly and intelligent. Amazing that this is his debut film and did nothing before ... the finale is a humdinger!!