O.S.S. 117 se déchaîne !

Oss 117 Se Dechaine was the first movie made about Jean Bruce's secret agent character, Hubert Bonisseur De la Bath, a French CIA agent.

I was an avid reader of Bruce's books and was very satisfied this first movie was such a faithful adaptation of one of his novels; actually, the movie was a combination of two novels, but remained very faithful to the story and characters, much the way From Russia With Love was faithful to Ian Fleming's book (to a point.) The later movies, Banco a Bangkok and Furia a Bahia, though retaining the author's original titles, did not remain faithful to the stories and diverged the way later James Bond movies diverged from their original book titles.

This film has a lighter, wittier touch than many Euro-spy pictures of the 1960's. Yes, plenty of bad guys bite the dust, but the mood is not grim. Our male lead has a good amount of charm and a sense of humor. And he's quite handsome. A big plus for this film, in my view, is that it convey a very French sense of gallantry and sophisticated flirting. Nadine Sanders, our leading lady here, is simply a knockout! Tall--very tall--with masses of blonde hair, model-slender, and with a wonderfully aristocratic, refined beauty; one wishes she had starred in a lot more films. Some reviewers suggest the pace is slow. I did not find it so. The movie held my interest throughout and never dragged. The story allows a real relationship to develop between the two leads, which is a huge asset. Also--I'm American, and watched it on dvd with subtitles; that worked fine. I'd say, if you like Euro-spy, give this one a try. I think you'll like it.

An American agent disappears after a scuba diving reconnaissance mission in Corsica. The Secret Service sends agent code name OSS 117 to investigate.

The first OSS 117 featuring Kerwin Matthews is a solid spy thriller with some cool location and underwater sequences - one would think it would be have been better if it was in colour but the monochrome amidst the jazzy score, the cobbles streets, and the intrigue unravelling lends an atmosphere of foreboding. The fight scenes were impressive, the sharp karate punches and some floor work, legs hooking over neck ... the plot just glides and the characters are interesting. Matthew's has a cool presence, is smooth and thinks on his feet and his one liners are well delivered, especially towards the ladies. I like the fact he's not a bull in a China shop.

Comparisons to Bond are going to be inevitable, but I feel this film is more like Danger Man; for one, Agent Hubert has no gadgets, relies on his fists and wits, and no one recognises him by the drink he takes or whether he likes it shaken or stirred or the gun he uses. The spying here is more realistic, though not to the point of being dull and talky. A blend of action and spying is done well. Definitely the best OSS 117 I have seen so far ( I have seen the John Gavin one and the other Kerwin Matthews set in Thailand) ...

While "OSS 117 Se Dechaine" (a.k.a. "OSS 117 is Unleased") wasn't the first filmed adaptation of the literary hero created by writer Jean Bruce, it was the first to come out after the international success of the James Bond movie "Dr. No". Obviously, this movie was made with the intention of aping James Bond. However, if you are expecting this movie to be as hard hitting and action packed as a James Bond movie from the 1960s, you will probably be disappointed. There is more of a laid back attitude throughout instead of a feeling of tension or excitement. And there is very little action (though the few hand-to-hand combat sequences do pack some serious juice.) However, the movie is interesting that is portrays spying in a more realistic manner. There is always a feeling that whatever happens in this movie could very well have happened in real life. And while the movie does get slow at times, I personally was never bored, since the French perspective does add some charm and freshness. If you are looking for action, you better look elsewhere. But if you are tired of James Bond-style spy spoofing and want a more serious take on the subject of spying - and the idea of a French twist on the subject sounds interesting - the movie will keep you interested reasonably enough.

1962 was historical for spy thriller:James Bond had happened!

André Hunebelle,who was a "swashbuckler" specialist("le bossu","le miracle des loups","le capitan" etc)realized -and he was one of the first!- that the wind had shifted.Now the knight would become a secret agent,and he 'd swap his sword for a gun,and his horse for a car (and what a car!a "dauphine" 1960,now a museum piece)So why not Jean Bruce's hero,OSS 117 -Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath-,why not the Corse -an ersatz for Bond's Jamaica-,and two OSS girls -Irina Demick and Nadia Sanders- two good-looking starlets .But there was another problem:using Jean Marais ,his interpret for all the movies I mention above ,and aristocrat to a fault,would have been a mistake.So hire a young American actor,Kerwin Matthews(the seventh voyage of Sindbad,Nathan Juran,1958)and hope for the best.

That's not exactly the best we get,by a long shot.The story will seem naive even to a four-year old,there are no special effects,but some underwater scenes predate,in their own modest way "thunderball"! There's some humor,and one regrets it was not shot in color,because the côte d'azur in black and white ,it's a crime.

André Hunebelle would carry on with OSS (And Matthews ,then Frederick Stafford),3 movies in all ("furia à bahia pour OSS 117" "banco à Bagkok pour OSS 117" ),both shot in color,with bigger budgets and for "furia"

a true star Mylène Demongeot as the OSS girl) .The three movies are naivete itself but they are pleasant to watch if you're interested in the evolution of the spy film genre.