The O.S.S. 117 series of films are based on popular spy novels by author Jean De Bruce about an international spy named Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath, the French version of James Bond. Hubert Bonisseur was portrayed by a number of actors (including John Gavin, who was later named Ambassador to Mexico by Ronald Reagan!) which is one of the reasons the series never caught on outside of Europe. Austrian actor took over the role Frederick Stafford took over the role pf O.S.S 117 for the third and fourth films, the latter which was set in Japan and retitled "Terror in Tokyo". In this film, Bonnisseur has to stop a group of industrialists from launching missiles laced with atomic bombs unless the United States government gives into to their ransom demands. Gorgeous actress Marina Vlady plays a woman in the US embassy suspected of leaking secrets to the enemy, and Yoshimura Jitsuko is a Japanese secret agent posing as a nightclub hostess. Bonisseur romances both women and while attempting to save the world from destruction. Not as exciting as the superior 007 films of the era but entertaining in its own way. Look for a great fight scene in which Agent O.S.S. 117 goes up against a humongous sumo wrestler.
9 Reviews
"I never trust a woman with a beauty spot on her right hip."
morrison-dylan-fan3 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
As the countdown to the ICM French Film Challenge ending begun,I looked for a last-minute flick to view. Recently watching the OK OSS 117: Mission for a Killer (1965-also reviewed) I decided to join OSS 117 on another mission.
View on the film:
Bringing in Terence Young (and an uncredited Claude Sautet) to join the returning duo of Pierre Foucaud and Marcel Mithois in adapting Jean Bruce,the new writers give the franchise a sparkling Euro Spy makeover. Keeping OSS's mission straight-lined, the writers tune in an exciting fish out of water espionage tale, with OSS being unable to fully trust the Japanese secret service,and running into 007-style henchmen trying to put 0SS on the end of their swords. Mostly filmed in Tokyo and new to the series, director Michel Boisrond & returning cinematographer Marcel Grignon join in giving a new found energy for the franchise, with the bright lights and night clubs of Japan giving it a Euro Spy sheen,along with panning shots catching sight-gags of OSS being spied on. Karate-chopping him into action,Boisrond gives the action set-pieces a wonderfully over the top quality, from the gigantic henchmen knocking down walls to OSS hanging a baddie with a phone wire. Joining a returning Frederick Stafford as OSS, Marina Vlady gives the series a touch of Euro spy glamour as icy Wilson,who leads OSS with a Tokyo drifter.
View on the film:
Bringing in Terence Young (and an uncredited Claude Sautet) to join the returning duo of Pierre Foucaud and Marcel Mithois in adapting Jean Bruce,the new writers give the franchise a sparkling Euro Spy makeover. Keeping OSS's mission straight-lined, the writers tune in an exciting fish out of water espionage tale, with OSS being unable to fully trust the Japanese secret service,and running into 007-style henchmen trying to put 0SS on the end of their swords. Mostly filmed in Tokyo and new to the series, director Michel Boisrond & returning cinematographer Marcel Grignon join in giving a new found energy for the franchise, with the bright lights and night clubs of Japan giving it a Euro Spy sheen,along with panning shots catching sight-gags of OSS being spied on. Karate-chopping him into action,Boisrond gives the action set-pieces a wonderfully over the top quality, from the gigantic henchmen knocking down walls to OSS hanging a baddie with a phone wire. Joining a returning Frederick Stafford as OSS, Marina Vlady gives the series a touch of Euro spy glamour as icy Wilson,who leads OSS with a Tokyo drifter.
117 Is The Rookie Cousin Of 007 !
elshikh45 August 2007
Yes, Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath is based on novels by Jean De Bruce. However, he is so similar to Ian Fleming's very well known English spy James Bond who is, by the way, funnier and more advanced.
In this Bond-ish movie, the action is not so good, it's average. The direction is not that well done; you'll watch the camera more than once (in the glass of some bus, and in the bathroom's mirror of the submarine..), plus the stunt man's face was visible too, and so on. The music isn't any fine. Frederick Stafford is trying to be, or forced to be, another Connery, and that dubbed voice was unfunny, but I think with some other director and writer, he would've done much better work.
You won't have a lot of exciting spying devices; only a little microphone and sunglasses which had a camera in it. And although it's French-Italian production, but it's not BIG one by all means, especially when all of the events take place just in Tokyo. The writing was mediocre, or maybe the surprises of 1966 are corny in 2007. For instance, someone shot Hubert in his bed to discover that it wasn't him; it was a doll under the blanket. Then, chasing Hubert to discover later that he was a harmless policeman.. etc.
The positive points were 2. The cinematography by Marcel Grignon, which was the classic rich shooting of the era. And Marina Vlady who stole the show despite not being the lead.
All in all, this movie is poor when you compare it to Bond movies. But if you measure it by its own desire to be amusing, then you'll find that it's a nice humble espionage movie, not too boring, silly or bad.
However, most of the global taste or mood will innately compare that French spy to the original English one, hence he'll be some sort of the fool cousin from France who imitates desperately his uncle's famous clever son!
In this Bond-ish movie, the action is not so good, it's average. The direction is not that well done; you'll watch the camera more than once (in the glass of some bus, and in the bathroom's mirror of the submarine..), plus the stunt man's face was visible too, and so on. The music isn't any fine. Frederick Stafford is trying to be, or forced to be, another Connery, and that dubbed voice was unfunny, but I think with some other director and writer, he would've done much better work.
You won't have a lot of exciting spying devices; only a little microphone and sunglasses which had a camera in it. And although it's French-Italian production, but it's not BIG one by all means, especially when all of the events take place just in Tokyo. The writing was mediocre, or maybe the surprises of 1966 are corny in 2007. For instance, someone shot Hubert in his bed to discover that it wasn't him; it was a doll under the blanket. Then, chasing Hubert to discover later that he was a harmless policeman.. etc.
The positive points were 2. The cinematography by Marcel Grignon, which was the classic rich shooting of the era. And Marina Vlady who stole the show despite not being the lead.
All in all, this movie is poor when you compare it to Bond movies. But if you measure it by its own desire to be amusing, then you'll find that it's a nice humble espionage movie, not too boring, silly or bad.
However, most of the global taste or mood will innately compare that French spy to the original English one, hence he'll be some sort of the fool cousin from France who imitates desperately his uncle's famous clever son!
Ultimately dull spy stuff
vjetorix25 November 2002
Frederick Stafford's second and last adventure as Hubert Bonniseur de la Bath a.k.a. OSS 117 is a well made but ultimately disappointing feature. The film starts out with a nifty car chase but unfortunately that level of excitement is never regained and the result is a rather dull film. The self-assured Stafford is never allowed to showcase the talents he displayed in OSS 117 Mission For a Killer and even the lovely Marina Vlady isn't enough to perk things up.
Director Michel Boisrond does what he can with the material but the lack of a good story dooms this from the start. Michel Magne's score is appropriately flavored with Asian spice but is otherwise forgettable. You can skip this one as an also ran that doesn't measure up.
Director Michel Boisrond does what he can with the material but the lack of a good story dooms this from the start. Michel Magne's score is appropriately flavored with Asian spice but is otherwise forgettable. You can skip this one as an also ran that doesn't measure up.
Passable but boring Euro spy flick
gridoon202424 June 2008
The French answer to James Bond is back. And this time he travels to Tokyo and battles international terrorists. This film does have some things going for it: Frederick Stafford is a good enough spy lead (I'll take his OSS 117 over Timothy Dalton's 007 any day!), the cast includes a French mega-babe (Marina Vlady) and a Japanese super-cutie (Jitsuko Yoshimura), there are some enjoyable fight scenes, and the Oriental setting actually predates Connery's "You Only Live Twice" by one year! Despite all that, however, the film is a bit of a bore. It is VERY slow-moving and lacks a strong central villain. The filmmakers probably stretched the budget as far as it could go, but in comparison to the Bond pictures of the time, they still came up short. They just about beat "Diamonds Are Forever", though. (**)
Mostly a drab affair
Wizard-818 March 2018
The fourth entry in the official French movie series of "OSS 117" movies, while a notch better than the previous entry ("OSS 117: Mission for a Killer"), still fails to engage viewers as much as even a second rate James Bond movie. There are a few things along the way to catch the eyes or ears of viewers momentarily. The location shooting in Tokyo, combined with an adequate budget, do provide a lot of pleasant eye candy. The musical score is also pleasant, sounding very much like the music found in a James Bond movie of the same era. And the action sequences are pretty well done. That is, when there IS action. There simply isn't enough action to be found in the 100 minute running time, which will leave viewers impatient for the movie to get down to business like James Bond. I think the lack of action can be blamed for a very slow-moving script. Surprisingly, James Bond veteran Terence Young had a hand with this movie's story, but you wouldn't know it. The story unfolds at a snail's pace, and another unfortunate consequence of this is that there is no feeling of tension, no feeling that people's lives are on the line. It doesn't take long for the movie to become quite frankly dull. "James Bland" is more like it.
A Decent EuroSpy Film
Uriah4311 April 2021
After an American navy base is completely annihilated and a ransom message is sent to the United States, OSS agent 117 "Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath" (Frederick Stafford) is sent to Tokyo to investigate. Upon his arrival there his first order of business is to interview an intelligence clerk by the name of "Eva Wilson" (Marina Vlady) who is being blackmailed into disclosing top secret military information. After finding out as much as he can he then comes up with the idea of posing as her husband so that she can perhaps lead him toward this clandestine group. What he doesn't know, however, is that there are other parties interested in his presence with intentions which have yet to be ascertained. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a decent EuroSpy film which contained a good mixture of action and intrigue. In addition to that it also had a couple of attractive ladies like Jitsuko Yoshimura (as "Tetsuko") along with the aforementioned Marina Vlady to brighten the scenery as well. One drawback, however, was the English dubbing-particularly in the case of Tetsuko-which could have used a bit of improvement. Be that as it may, while not a great film by any means it was sufficient to pass the time and I have rated it accordingly. Average.
Small but deadly
ShadeGrenade19 June 2011
Warning: Spoilers
French thriller writer Jean Bruce was the creator of secret agent OSS 117 - real name Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath - who appeared in a string of bestselling books in the Fifties, and landed his own movie franchise seven years before James Bond. There has been renewed interest in him lately due to a pair of well received spoofs - 'OSS 117 - Cairo Nest Of Spies' and 'OSS 117 - Lost In Rio', starring Jean Dujardin. The original series, however, took itself a bit more seriously.
'Terror In Tokyo For OSS 117' ( known in some quarters as 'From Tokyo With Love' ) was the second to star American actor Frederick Stafford ( the first being 'OSS 117 Mission For A Killer' ). It opens with a nifty Bond-type pre-credit sequence, with Hubert involved in a car chase, gun battle and helicopter escape. Back in Washington, he learns that an American air force base in the Pacific has been destroyed with a new type of missile, one so small it can not be detected by radar. The organisation behind the attack want a king's ransom to stop them doing the same thing again. The one lead is Eva Wilson ( Marina Vlady ), a cypher girl in the American embassy, who is being blackmailed to pass secrets to the enemy. Posing as her husband John, Hubert returns with her to Tokyo. Installing a bugging device in her clothing, he waits for the blackmailer to make the next move...
It is interesting to compare this to 'You Only Live Twice', released the following year. 'Tokyo' is more slowly paced, not so gadget heavy, with fewer action scenes, yet works well enough on its own terms. Hubert trapped in a moving vehicle with a bomb aboard ( which will go off if he tries to stop ) is particularly thrilling, as is his later fight with a Sumo wrestler. Stafford ( best known for starring in Alfred Hitchcock's 'Topaz' ) was by far and away the best 'OSS 117' - cool, handsome, and charismatic ( he gives a better performance here than Sean Connery managed in 'Twice' ) - and Marina Vlady is so beautiful you want to pull her out of the screen. The last twenty minutes or so are dynamite - Hubert parachutes out of a plane, uses a harpoon to secure a hold on the yacht the villains are using as a base, gets aboard, and saves the day. Some stunning looking interiors. The yacht is capable of opening up and swallowing smaller vessels, a bit like the Liparus supertanker in 'The Spy Who Loved Me' ( 1977 ).
One of the writers was Terence Young, director of the Bond films 'Dr.No', 'From Russia With Love', and 'Thunderball'.
The only let down is the music which is on a par with Michel Legrand's infamous score for 'Never Say Never Again' ( 1983 ). The next film in the series was 'OSS 117 - Murder For Sale' - also known as 'OSS 117 - Double Agent', and had John Gavin ( of 'Psycho' ) replacing Stafford. It proved to be the writing on the wall.
'Terror In Tokyo For OSS 117' ( known in some quarters as 'From Tokyo With Love' ) was the second to star American actor Frederick Stafford ( the first being 'OSS 117 Mission For A Killer' ). It opens with a nifty Bond-type pre-credit sequence, with Hubert involved in a car chase, gun battle and helicopter escape. Back in Washington, he learns that an American air force base in the Pacific has been destroyed with a new type of missile, one so small it can not be detected by radar. The organisation behind the attack want a king's ransom to stop them doing the same thing again. The one lead is Eva Wilson ( Marina Vlady ), a cypher girl in the American embassy, who is being blackmailed to pass secrets to the enemy. Posing as her husband John, Hubert returns with her to Tokyo. Installing a bugging device in her clothing, he waits for the blackmailer to make the next move...
It is interesting to compare this to 'You Only Live Twice', released the following year. 'Tokyo' is more slowly paced, not so gadget heavy, with fewer action scenes, yet works well enough on its own terms. Hubert trapped in a moving vehicle with a bomb aboard ( which will go off if he tries to stop ) is particularly thrilling, as is his later fight with a Sumo wrestler. Stafford ( best known for starring in Alfred Hitchcock's 'Topaz' ) was by far and away the best 'OSS 117' - cool, handsome, and charismatic ( he gives a better performance here than Sean Connery managed in 'Twice' ) - and Marina Vlady is so beautiful you want to pull her out of the screen. The last twenty minutes or so are dynamite - Hubert parachutes out of a plane, uses a harpoon to secure a hold on the yacht the villains are using as a base, gets aboard, and saves the day. Some stunning looking interiors. The yacht is capable of opening up and swallowing smaller vessels, a bit like the Liparus supertanker in 'The Spy Who Loved Me' ( 1977 ).
One of the writers was Terence Young, director of the Bond films 'Dr.No', 'From Russia With Love', and 'Thunderball'.
The only let down is the music which is on a par with Michel Legrand's infamous score for 'Never Say Never Again' ( 1983 ). The next film in the series was 'OSS 117 - Murder For Sale' - also known as 'OSS 117 - Double Agent', and had John Gavin ( of 'Psycho' ) replacing Stafford. It proved to be the writing on the wall.
A poor man's James Bond.
dbdumonteil22 January 2006
André Hunebelle was a good craftsman when it came to making popular swashbucklers whose hero was Jean Marais ("le Bossu" "le Miracle des loups" ).The spy thriller had the wind in its sails thanks to James Bond....
So Hunnebelle ditched his previous genre for the more lucrative spy stuff.It was his second OSS 117 effort(the first one featured Kervin -Simbad/Jack-Matthews ) and it's not really an improvement on the first one.There is a true actress here ,Marina Vlady (oddly,she plays on the boat almost the same part as Domino and her camera in "Thunderball" ).And Henri Serre,whose career ran into difficulties after "Jules et Jim".And Frederick Stafford future "Topaz " star. It's not much.
So Hunnebelle ditched his previous genre for the more lucrative spy stuff.It was his second OSS 117 effort(the first one featured Kervin -Simbad/Jack-Matthews ) and it's not really an improvement on the first one.There is a true actress here ,Marina Vlady (oddly,she plays on the boat almost the same part as Domino and her camera in "Thunderball" ).And Henri Serre,whose career ran into difficulties after "Jules et Jim".And Frederick Stafford future "Topaz " star. It's not much.
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