Le tueur aime les bonbons

"The Killer Likes Candy" is an Italian suspense film dubbed into English. It stars the American actor Kerwin Mathews as well as a lot of Italian folks. Dubbing films into English as well as having American stars (often 2nd and 3rd tier stars) was quite common in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Not surprisingly, as a film snob I prefer subtitled films--but this wasn't possible with these movies as most of the time, the foreign star delivered their lines in English while the rest of the cast spoke Italian.

This film is about an assassin. He's killed quite a few folks and has the odd habit of eating candy and leaving the wrappers when he's making a kill. Hopefully this can be used to catch him. Much of the films is from the standpoint of a guy whose assignment is to protect the dictatorial king of a fictional nation. Some of it's pretty exciting and might offend the squeamish (such as the gasoline scene) but some of it also is pretty cheesy (such as the body at the end of the film that falls to its death--it's VERY obviously a dummy). Overall, it's mildly interesting but no more. Bad edits and some HORRIBLE 1960s music make this one a bit hard to take.

Really bland James Bond-lite European piece about an American government agent assigned to be the head of security for the king of Kafiristan after one of his comrades takes an assassin's bullet meant for the king. Sensitivites arise as the U.S. is looking to sign a lucrative contract with the oil rich country which needs him alive at least until the the deal is signed. Thankfully this was made forty years before Hollywood decided to make Americans the bad guy in all energy concerns but I digress. Enter "Angel Face" Mark Stone who spends his free-time pretending to be a fashion photographer which is funny because I do the very same thing when I go to the mall. Mark is the strictly business CIA agent that is tasked with hunting down a hit-man with a sweet tooth. At least this is what the film chooses to focus on as the candy thing is more of a quirk than a calling card to anyone who stumbles upon one of his victims. The killer is Oscar Snell, a former Nazi, who really makes a lot of mistakes for a professional assassin. His numerous attempts on the king's life all fail which spoils the confrontation between Stone and himself. Numerous fights scenes are clumsily spliced together as Stone must outsmart a small army sent to dispatch him and his partner Costa who does a decent job as the girl-crazy comic relief. Not a whole lot of beauties to ogle either as this is a skin-free film that offers very little titillation which is rare for these kind of movies. The late sixties lounge musak score is so inappropriate in the shootout scenes that it's almost comedic when watching it. Complete with "bada-dada-da's" it's the kind of music which should accompany Mark prancing through a field of lilies. On the positive side "Killer" makes great use of the unique landscape like a shootout in a park lined with large ancient sculptures and a battle in the catacombs of a church. I really started to get bored towards the end as I struggled to focus on how Mark was going to capture Snell which ends anticlimactically as well mind you. If you're looking to be satisfied eat a Snickers instead and skip this candy.

This Italian/French/West German co-production could just as easily have been a cop thriller but for the element of Mark Stone (Kerwin Matthews) being a U.S. government agent. Locations in Venice and Rome keep things visually interesting, the cast is filled with recognizable faces, and the score by Gianni Marchetti is appropriately jazzy.

Stone's assignment is to guard the life of a king so we can have his oil. Sound familiar? By the way, at the beginning of the film, the killer uses an ice bullet in his first attempt to kill the king. This little trick was used two years earlier in the Ernesto Gastaldi-scripted Ring Around the World. The plot may be simple but Matthews makes for a good hero and The Killer Likes Candy has enough going for it to make it worth seeking out.

For those who like their pasta cheesy: a 60s French-Italian-German pulp thriller filmed at the tail end of the Euro spy craze (1964-1968), and loaded with warped camera angles and great bongo-driven muzak that kicks in at totally inappropriate moments. Top agent OSS117 `Angel Face" (Kerwin Matthews) is assigned to protect a Eurasian monarch from a ruthless assassin, a glassy-eyed ex-Gestapo officer who leaves a candy wrapper at the scene of every hit. Damn, these spaghetti merchants keep finding novel settings for their genre punchups - this time round a karate fight at a meatworks (one guy gets covered in a bucket of pig's blood!) and ending in a shootout amidst a truckload of crumbling skeletons in the Rome catacombs.

I was not sure what to expect when I began watching this one. I was half expecting another James Bond ripoff; however, this one stands on its own merit as there are some things about this that resembles a Bond film, but for the most part it is its own thing. It is not a very good film mind you, but it is a pretty interesting view as the main guy who is on a security detail in this film and his buddy are a bit of a charismatic pair so they keep the film fun even though the plot is not the best as it is a bit too obvious what is going on and there is a lack of anything really going on.

The story has a man sniping a guy while he is escorting a king through the streets. The man shot was in charge of the King's security. A new guy is put in charge and he is on the case as he learns the killer likes candy! That really is not as important as the title makes it out to be, but I must admit it is a catchy title.

Like I said I thought the main guy and his sidekick carried this film. The assassin is pretty good as he has the looks of a former Nazi. Usually films like this have very attractive girls, this one doesn't quite have super hot girls, but there are a couple of nice ones. Mainly all the ones the sidekick has with him.

So, it is a fun film, but just not all that good considering the sum of its parts. It could use a few more action pieces a few less scenes of nothing really going on. Usually you get nice locales in a film like these, but most of the places are bland. Thankfully the stars in this keep the film fun for the most part.