THE FOX WITH THE VELVET TAIL

Husband (Kendall), wife (Gade), lover (Sorel)

THE FOX WITH THE VELVET TAIL (aka In the Eye of the Hurricane/1971). Director: Jose Maria Forque. 

Wealthy Ruth (Analia Gade of The Murder Mansion) is bored with her husband, Miguel (Tony Kendall of Kommissar X: Kill Panther Kill), and tells him she's filing for divorce. She takes off for her gorgeous summer place with her equally attractive new boyfriend, Paul (Jean Sorel of Paranoia). Things are going great for the couple until Ruth nearly dies in a couple of accidents, and then Miguel shows up. She wonders if Miguel was somehow responsible for her near-death incidents, but Paul poo poos. A beautiful woman named Danielle (Rosanna Yanni) observes everything from a distance, and then Ruth overhears the two men in her life having a very strange conversation ... 

Jean Sorel

Bolstered by beautiful locations and some adept players, as well as a stylish and romantic aura, The Fox with the Velvet Tail is an intriguing if basically bloodless suspense tale. Analia Gade offers a comparatively perfunctory performance, but the two men are better, and the whole production is smooth and well-paced. The scene when Ruth's brakes fail is thrilling, and a completely silent attempted murder scene late in the picture is very well-shot and edited. Of course, as in most of these movies, there is a slight touch of lesbianism. Viewers expecting a gory giallo film will have to look elsewhere, but this somehow works despite the lack of gruesome killings. 

Verdict: Sorel makes a convincing lover boy. ***. 

KOMMISSAR X: KILL PANTHER KILL

Brad Harris and Tony Kendall escape from a trap

KOMMISSAR X: KILL PANTHER KILL (aka Kommissar X - Drei blaue Panther/1968.) Director: Gianfranco Parolini. 

Jo Louis Walker (Tony Kendall) and Captain Tom Rowland (Brad Harris) re-team to investigate the case of twin brothers (Franco Fantasia) who are in the stolen gem business. As usual, there's an amusing love/hate relationship between the two men as they dodge bullets, romance gals, and get involved in a terrific and protracted karate fight where they manage to defeat all of their opponents in record time. There's a flying jet pack like something out of James Bond, but generally this "Kommissar X" adventure is not a typical eurospy film, and the 007-isms are kept to a minimum. The best sequence has Walker trapped when his leg is caught in some mud and he appears to be flattened by a bulldozer, distressing Rowland, who is gratified to find him alive. This high-spirited flick is one of the better Kommissar X adventures. 

Verdict: Playful and fun. ***.