OSS 117: MISSION TOKYO

Frederick Stafford and Marina Vlady

OSS 117: MISSION TO TOKYO (aka Atout coeur a Tokyo pour OSS 117/1966). Director: Michel Boisrond. 

Agent 117 (Frederick Stafford) figures out that a U.S. military base was wiped out by a miniature plane, so his next stop is Japan. In Tokyo he interacts with two women: Eva Wilson (Marina Vlady), who apparently gave away the coordinates of the aforementioned base; and adorable "hostess" Tetsuko (Jitsuko Yoshimura), who is actually a lieutenant who is working undercover. Wealthy entrepreneur Yekota (Valery Inkijinoff) has joined forces with shipbuilder Vargas (Mario Pisu) to blackmail the U.S. to pay them millions or else another base will be destroyed. Wanting to draw out the bad guys, 117 pretends to be Eva's husband until the real husband, John Wilson (Henri Serre), puts in an appearance. Is Eva being forced to work with Yekota and his associates because of her estranged husband, or is she doing this on her own? 117 will find out once he reaches Yekota's HQ on a huge ship on the ocean. 

Jitsuko Yoshimura with Stafford

In some ways Mission to Tokyo might come off like an inferior rip-off of You Only Live Twice, if it weren't for the fact that the Bond film came out the following year. Nevertheless the Japanese settings are telling. Not only is this not as good as the 007 adventure, it's inferior to Stafford's first 117 film, Mission for a Killer, even though Terence Young, who wrote and directed Dr. No and directed both From Russia with Love and Thunderball, "adapted" the screenplay for this picture. 117 has an amusing battle with a giant Sumo wrestler, and the production values are solid, but otherwise this is a fairly standard Eurospy film and no more. At one point 117 pretty much implies that he won't protect Eva unless she sleeps with him -- what a guy! In French with English sub-titles. 

Verdict: Watch You Only Live Twice instead. **1/2. 

OSS 117: MISSION FOR A KILLER

Frederick Stafford

OSS 117: MISSION FOR A KILLER (aka Furia a Bahia pour OSS 117/1965.) Director: Andre Hunebelle. 

After a series of suicide bombings which seem to be committed by solid citizens who have been drugged, Agent 117 (Frederick Stafford) is sent down to Rio to investigate. There he meets two lovely ladies: supposed secretary Consuela (Perrette Predier), who's in league with the bad guys, and Ana-Maria (Mylene Demongeot), who is being targeted by them because she knows too much. Ana-Maria and her brother Miguel (Jacques Riberolles) are friends with a man named Leandro (Raymond Pellegrin) who may or may not be in league with Carlos (Francois Maistre), who wants to bring about a New World Order from his base in the jungles of Brazil. 

Stafford, Demongeot, Riberolles

After Kerwin Mathews finished two OSS 117 films for director Andre Hunebelle, the latter discovered Czech actor Stafford and cast him as the secret agent in his first movie. Like Mathews, Stafford plays a super-cool, seemingly unflappable and mostly unemotional  spy. While he isn't better in the role than Mathews, he does seem a touch more likable. In addition to widescreen photography and color, the film greatly benefits from intriguing and colorful locales and some spectacular scenery. 

Spectacular scenery

Mission for a Killer has several memorable scenes: a gunman opens fire in an operating theater, killing the patient, shooting doctors and nurses, and nearly killing 117 and Ana-Maria. There's a terrific sequence in which a felon uses a flame thrower on 117 and doesn't care if he burns up his own partner or the entire house. Then there's a lively battle on a plane over the Amazon where the balance of power quickly shifts from one side to the other and back again. A climax on a waterfall boasts a truly spectacular setting. While Mission for a Killer isn't quite up to the level of the best of the Bonds, it is still a superior eurospy movie. Stafford later starred in Alfred Hitchcock's Topaz. Followed by OSS 117: Mission to Tokyo. In French, with English sub-titles.

Verdict: Smooth, fast-paced entertaining spy stuff. ***. 

OSS 117 -- PANIC IN BANGKOK

Kerwin Mathews 

OSS 117 -- PANIC IN BANGKOK (aka Shadow of Evil aka /Banco a Bangkok pour OSS 117/1964). Director:  Andre Hunebelle.

Operative Hubert Bonisseur (Kerwin Mathews of The Boy Who Cried Werewolf) -- a lover boy with a real line -- is assigned to replace a murdered agent who was investigating a series of plague outbreaks in Thailand. In Bangkok Hubert works with a man named Leacock (Henri Virlojeux) and gains an enthusiastic and helpful assistant in Sonsak (Akom Mokramond). After interviewing Professor Hogby (Jacques Hilling) and his pretty blond secretary, Eva (Dominique Wilms), Hubert set his sights on a charismatic character named Dr. Sinn (Robert Hossein) -- or rather Sinn's lovely sister, Lila (Pier Angeli). Hubert is unaware that Eva is Sinn's lover. Sooner or later, Hubert hopes to uncover exactly who is unleashing the deadly plague -- and why.

Robert Hossein as Dr. Sinn

Well, with one character named "Dr. Sinn" you may not be too surprised at the identity of the villain in this, but you may be surprised that OSS 117 is as (modestly) entertaining as it is. Mathews makes an effective leading man, and Hossein is equally good as his adversary, A group called the Elected People have decided to wipe out most of the world's population and start over again, or something like that. There's a nifty fight scene in a hotel, some nice photography and music, and the Bangkok settings are well chosen. However, while the movie holds the attention it utterly lacks the big scale action and excitement of the best of the Bond films, so some viewers may find this a snooze. OSS 117 was a character in French spy novels, and after the success of Dr. No, OSS 117 is Unleashed  -- also starring Kerwin Mathews -- was released. with Panic in Bangkok being the sequel. Since then there has been a whole series of foreign eurospy OSS 117 movies from the sixties until today with the part being played by John Gavin, Frederick Stafford and others. Kerwin Mathews and Pier Angeli reteamed for Octaman. (In French with subtitles.)  

Verdict: So-so spy film with Mathews making like a lower-key Bond. **1/2.