OSS 117: DOUBLE AGENT

Luciana Paluzzi and John Gavin

OSS 117: DOUBLE AGENT (aka Niente rose per OSS 117/aka OSS 117: Murder for Sale/1969). Director: Andre Hunebelle.  

Agent 117 -- who is now a man named Jonath Roberts (John Gavin) -- has had cosmetic surgery to make him look more like Chandler, a notorious criminal and expensive hit man. "He's much better-looking now," says a female associate. Roberts goes through elaborate strategies to be taken into the fold of an assassination-for-hire organization run by Il Maggiore (Curd Jurgens), who is convinced he's really Chandler. "Chandler" is hired to carry out a hit on a United Nations delegate named Van Dyke (Piero Lulli) who has the temerity to want peace. Roberts has to convince the bad guys he's gone through with this deadly scheme because he's been injected with poison and must be given the antidote every 24 hours, but this may be more difficult than it sounds ... 

Gavin gives the eye to someone creeping up on him

There are some interesting elements to this last sixties installment in the OSS 117 series, although it's generally a standard Eurospy feature. In the version I saw, which is partially dubbed in English but otherwise is in French with English sub-titles, the hero is never referred to as Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath at all as in the previous films. Our hero deals with two doctors who work with the evil organization: one is played by Luciana Paluzzi of Thunderball, and the other by Robert Hossein of OSS 117: Panic in Bangkok; neither are utilized as well as they might have been. Curd Jurgens made a better impression as the villain in the Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. 

George Eastman and Curd Jurgens

Margaret Lee [Slaughter Hotel] is cast as Aicha, the daughter of a man, Melik (Guido Alberti), who also works for the organization. George Eastman is quite vivid as Karas, Jurgen's good right hand and a formidable fighting machine. There is some suspense when 117 almost passes the deadline for the antidote, but considering the circumstances this could have been handled in a much more nerve-wracking fashion. Still, the movie does have its share of exciting sequences, although nothing that jumps out at you and knocks your socks off.

Robert Hossein with Gavin

And then there's John Gavin, who plays this super-spy stuff in the obligatory fashion -- cocky, ruthless, sardonic and sexy, with one eye always on the ladies -- as well as anyone and better than some. He impressed the producers of the James Bond movies enough for them to sign Gavin to a contract to star in Diamonds are Forever, but at the last moment they decided instead to accede to Sean Connery's demands and paid Gavin off. That sucks! Gavin later said that while it might have led to super-stardom for him, it also could have prevented him from becoming Ambassador to Mexico, which was a long-time dream of his. (Gavin was of Mexican, Chilean, and Spanish descent, and spoke fluid Spanish.) 

Verdict: So many elements in place, a perfectly good leading man, but somehow this just never jells like it should. **1/4.