Le tueur aime les bonbons

This is the most stupid movie I have seen. Is's about a hired murderer who eats candy while killing people, and always leaves a piece of the candy-paper behind. And the music.... Well, you have to see and hear it to believe it. I can't put words on it. The name of the movie says it all: The Killer likes candy!!! See it if you have the chance.

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.

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.

I like the genre, very much, I grew up with it, but I do not like this movie. A year before, Maurice Cloche, the co-director of this film, made "The Viscount" (1967) Le vicomte règle ses comptes (original title), with the same Kerwin Mathews in a role almost identical to this one here, and with Jean Yanne in a role almost identical to the one played here by Venantino Venantini. Kerwin Mathews tries to mimic James Bond, but unfortunately he does not succeed, he's not Sean Connery. Venantino Venantini tries to be funny but he does not succeed at all. He's not Jean Yanne. Marilu Tolo is not as convincing as in other films (script blame). Same Werner Peters, who strives hard. Gordon Mitchell, very good in tough and rough roles in other movies, here he is just a cartoon. The best and the only one which has a distinct part is Bruno Cremer as the killer who likes candy. He was a very serious actor with a unique personality but, even him is just involved in a bad script. Battle scenes and shootings are the most painful. Painful in the very bad sense. Two stars, one for Marilu Tolo, one for Bruno Cremer.

Stupid as it may sound, it's almost unthinkable that this simple & straightforward crime-thriller could still be made today, and this for an utmost dumb fact. The titular killer leaves candy wrappings (the dude's sole vice is a sweet tooth) at the scene of practically every crime, and nowadays it would be "not-done" for any character - hero or villain - to litter. You know, what with the environment and all?

Am I exaggerating? Perhaps, but it also somewhat demonstrates that "The Killer Likes Candy" is a very mundane and forgettable late '60s thriller. I watched it less than 48 hours ago, and already I have trouble remembering the plot and the denouement. It's entertaining enough while it lasts, merely thanks to a few exhilarating action sequences and a handful of adequate performances, but overall this is a weak effort. No-nonsense American hero Mark Stone gets assigned to protect the king of Kafiristan during his diplomatic stay in Italy, after a previous assassination attempt resulted in the death of his regular bodyguard. The hired killer is the stoic and introvert Oscar Snell, and his instructors clearly don't have a lot of confidence in him, since they additionally send a small army of goons (including Cameron Mitchell) out to neutralize Mark. Good aspects of the film include the majority of settings and filming locations (Rome, Venice, ...), the swinging soundtrack and two or three death sequences (burned alive, electrocuted, ...). The film is far too slow-paced, however, and the inexperienced director Frederico Chentrens doesn't manage to generate the least bit of suspense.