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.

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.

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.

This shoddy Italian crime film perfectly captures the feel of a five cent pulp novel: some detectives with a cool names (James Steele? I can't remember...) protects a middle east king from being murdered by political opponents. The evil doers have hired the world's number one hit man for the job, a perfectionist loner who for some reason eats candy all the time. The ingredients for the film are the following: 1) a lot of fighting 2) a lot of badly written "tough" dialouge 3) a little bit of conspiracy 4) a little bit of sex, and 5) an awesome easy listening soundtrack complete with "ba-di-ba-daba-da" choruses. The running gag is that the happy-go-lucky/comical relief detective time after time tries to get it on with a cute nurse, but always gets interrupted by the I'm-a-serious-motherf**ker detective. The Killer Likes Candy is OK pulp, I guess, but I must admit I was getting a little bit bored near the end. Never the less, I can think of far worse ways to have spent 90 minutes of my life.

5/10 - for the soundtrack, dear...