This film begins with an American spy being killed while attempting to piece together information related to a rise in the cases of bubonic plague in India following cholera vaccinations developed by one specific lab in Bangkok. Recognizing the importance of this information OSS Agent 117 "Hubert Barton" (Kerwin Mathews) is sent to try to piece together what he can to prevent a world-wide pandemic. What he doesn't know is how close a secret criminal organization called "the People Elect" are in accomplishing their diabolical plans. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that most of those who are familiar with the OSS 117 series will admit that it doesn't have the same level of intensity as those films found in the James Bond franchise. Along those same lines, most people will also admit that Kerwin Mathews doesn't have the same level of charisma as either Sean Connery or Roger Moore. Having said that, however, he still performs well enough to get the job done. Likewise, having two attractive actresses in Eva Davidson (as "Dominique Wilms") and Pier Angeli ("Lila Sinn") certainly didn't hurt in this particular case either. In short, while this certainly wasn't a great spy film by any means, it was sufficient to pass the time and I have rated it accordingly. Average.
11 Reviews
Well-mounted but overlong and slow spy adventure
gridoon202431 December 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Top agent OSS 117 gets another mission, this time with an objective that remains topical even today: a plague virus is causing multiple deaths in Bangkok, and after an agent there is assassinated, OSS 117 is sent to replace him, find the man responsible for the creation of the virus, and stop him before he can spread it to other countries. This is a well-mounted production, complete with exotic locations and elaborate master-villain headquarters. Kerwin Mathews is OK as the title character, and so is Robert Hossein as the soft-spoken villain. The problem with the movie is that it's overlong (my version ran 114 minutes) and slow (if only they shortened all the driving scenes, they could have chopped off about half an hour from the running time). OSS 117 actually tracks down the villain to his headquarters by listening to a bug that he had planted inside his office near the beginning, so the entire middle section of the movie amounts to little. It's still fun for fans of the genre, but strictly average for anyone else. ** out of 4.
The Story only develops in the last 30 MINUTES.
larryanderson15 March 2020
Kerwin Mathews arrives in Thailand and gets involved with Dr. Sinn by bedding his sister (Pier Angeli). They drive around in a 1955 Chev. with nothing happening for about an hour. The boat chase takes forever and ends with the pair right back where they started from. Mathews "Hides" Pier in a friends houseboat on a river. How safe is that?
Once Our agent finds the secret hideout of Dr. Sinn, we are told of the secret world domination plot, to spread a killer virus that will destroy most of the world's population. All these FACTS are only told in the last few minutes. This section is Euro-Spy stuff while the rest of the movie is just fill-in. This "destroy the world with a man-made epidemic" idea has been used before. This is not a true secret agent movie but tries hard. Larry Anderson
Give this atmospheric spy flick a chance
vjetorix13 January 2003
Despite the bad rap this OSS 117 adventure has taken over the years, a recent reevaluation suggests that kinder words be spoken about it. The U.S. re-titling, Shadow of Evil, turns out to be quite appropriate for a low-key adventure that relies more on atmosphere than action. This is not to say that the film is a resounding success but neither is it one of the genre entries that should be passed by entirely.
Director Andre Hunebelle, credited on this print as Cyril Grize, made four OSS 117 movies in the sixties of which this is the second. One might argue that Hunebelle's familiarity with the character of Hubert Bonnisseur de la Bath aka OSS 117, lead to his experimenting with different approaches in filming his adventures.
Hunebelle takes a noir approach, at least visually, to large sections of the film. Much of the action takes place at night with plenty of shadows in which our characters can hover about. Contrary to what the film's detractors say, this is a good looking film even if experienced as a bad VHS dupe. The score by Michel Magne, credited here as Garry Sherman, uses eastern influences to good effect in creating soundscapes rather than themes, an unusual approach for the genre.
Shadow of Evil is not a failure but neither will it land at the top of most people's list. Make up your own mind.
Director Andre Hunebelle, credited on this print as Cyril Grize, made four OSS 117 movies in the sixties of which this is the second. One might argue that Hunebelle's familiarity with the character of Hubert Bonnisseur de la Bath aka OSS 117, lead to his experimenting with different approaches in filming his adventures.
Hunebelle takes a noir approach, at least visually, to large sections of the film. Much of the action takes place at night with plenty of shadows in which our characters can hover about. Contrary to what the film's detractors say, this is a good looking film even if experienced as a bad VHS dupe. The score by Michel Magne, credited here as Garry Sherman, uses eastern influences to good effect in creating soundscapes rather than themes, an unusual approach for the genre.
Shadow of Evil is not a failure but neither will it land at the top of most people's list. Make up your own mind.
Good looking, but pretty dull stuff
Wizard-828 January 2018
After the 1963 French secret agent movie "OSS 117 Is Unleashed" became a world wide hit, several follow-ups were churned out in the next few years, this movie being the first of them. In some aspects, this first sequel is an improvement over the original. It clearly had a bigger budget, which gives the movie some pleasant eye candy with color photography, on location filming in Thailand, and better set design. However, the good look of the movie doesn't compensate for the fact that the movie is pretty boring for the most part. When it comes to action, the movie is really lacking; for example, there is only ONE scene that can be safely labelled an action scene in the first hour of the movie. And neither this action scene or the few others in the movie really stir the blood and get the audience excited. A bigger problem is that the movie is directed in a manner that generates absolutely no tension, mystery, or suspense; spying has never been so routine and dull, and you'll never feel that anyone is in any danger. It doesn't help that at nearly two hours in length, the movie is too long for its own good. Hopefully I will find the next entries in this movie series to be much better.
Pandemic
BandSAboutMovies13 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This is the second OSS 177 film, based on Jean Bruce's 1960 novel Lila de Calcutta, which was the 74th OSS 117 novel. The series predates Ian Fleming's Bond novels and the first film made from them was filmed before Dr. No.
Secret Agent OSS 117, Colonel Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath (Kerwin Mathews, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, The Boy Who Cried Werewolf) is in Thailand after the murder of OSS agent Christopher Lemmon, who has been investigating plague epidemics in India. So, you know, if you don't want to watch a pandemic movie, miss this.
Lemmon was killed because he found out that the medicine that Hogby Laboratories was making had been switched with plague germs, thereby killing much of the population.
OSS 117 then breaks into the secret lair of Dr. Sinn (Robert Hossein, who directed Cemetery Without Crosses), an Indian hypnotist and psychologist. Or maybe he was, because now he is wearing a cape and working for a group called the People Elect who wants to decrease the world's population and stop nuclear testing. Why do I keep identifying with Eurospy villains?
Secret Agent OSS 117, Colonel Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath (Kerwin Mathews, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, The Boy Who Cried Werewolf) is in Thailand after the murder of OSS agent Christopher Lemmon, who has been investigating plague epidemics in India. So, you know, if you don't want to watch a pandemic movie, miss this.
Lemmon was killed because he found out that the medicine that Hogby Laboratories was making had been switched with plague germs, thereby killing much of the population.
OSS 117 then breaks into the secret lair of Dr. Sinn (Robert Hossein, who directed Cemetery Without Crosses), an Indian hypnotist and psychologist. Or maybe he was, because now he is wearing a cape and working for a group called the People Elect who wants to decrease the world's population and stop nuclear testing. Why do I keep identifying with Eurospy villains?
Jades Are Forever
EdgarST27 November 2019
This French drama has aged quite well. I remember watching it in the wake of the Bond craze during the early 1960s and it did not fare very well with me, as I was comparing it to Sean Connery's adventures, surrounded by international locations, exotic women and decors. Dubbed in English, "Banco a Bangkok" had little chance against the 1964 entry of the Bond franchise, "Goldfinger", which is regarded as one of the best in the series.
But seeing it again in French, with no reference in mind, "Banco a Bangkok" is an action drama in which finesse, sexual tension and exoticism merge in a gentle way. Car and boat chases, killings or martial arts fights are not lacking, but violence and sadism are handled sparingly, while the usual story of world dominance is told.
The action takes place in Thailand, among colorful characters: an American colonel, Hubert Barton or OSS 117, a code name never used in the plot; mister and miss Sinn, two Caucasian brothers who are supposed to be Thais; Eva, a blonde secretary out of a Bond vehicle, many Thais as assistants of heroes and villains, a free-lance ex-Nazi hustler called Karloff (only in the final roll-up), and a sect of fascist survivalists called The Chosen People.
For Kerwin Mathews (as Barton) this was one of the first movies he made in the last phase of his career, that would evolve into grade-B movies in Europe and the USA. Here he is aging well, with gray hair highlighting his boyish charm, and he seems to be having a good time in a quality product. Robert Hossein plays his usually wicked, handsome villain, while Pier Angeli is the antithesis of the scantily clad, stereotyped Bond girl, properly dressed in Thai fashion.
Sensuality is a game all over (I even felt a homoerotic undercurrent), the tone is light, the humor is kept in check, and the use of Thailand locations is effectively handled by co-director Jacques Besnard. Order Thai food and beer, and enjoy.
But seeing it again in French, with no reference in mind, "Banco a Bangkok" is an action drama in which finesse, sexual tension and exoticism merge in a gentle way. Car and boat chases, killings or martial arts fights are not lacking, but violence and sadism are handled sparingly, while the usual story of world dominance is told.
The action takes place in Thailand, among colorful characters: an American colonel, Hubert Barton or OSS 117, a code name never used in the plot; mister and miss Sinn, two Caucasian brothers who are supposed to be Thais; Eva, a blonde secretary out of a Bond vehicle, many Thais as assistants of heroes and villains, a free-lance ex-Nazi hustler called Karloff (only in the final roll-up), and a sect of fascist survivalists called The Chosen People.
For Kerwin Mathews (as Barton) this was one of the first movies he made in the last phase of his career, that would evolve into grade-B movies in Europe and the USA. Here he is aging well, with gray hair highlighting his boyish charm, and he seems to be having a good time in a quality product. Robert Hossein plays his usually wicked, handsome villain, while Pier Angeli is the antithesis of the scantily clad, stereotyped Bond girl, properly dressed in Thai fashion.
Sensuality is a game all over (I even felt a homoerotic undercurrent), the tone is light, the humor is kept in check, and the use of Thailand locations is effectively handled by co-director Jacques Besnard. Order Thai food and beer, and enjoy.
Shot in beautiful FranScope colors : "cinéma-bis"
falmoury31 March 2004
Very sympathetic piece of French "cinéma-bis" as well as French "popular cinema of quality". The color photography of Bangkok using FranScope - equivalent of the CinemaScope - is wonderful and one is always surprised to check how this city has changed since 1964 : amazing shots of Shilom, and of the first "car behind car" streets in the center. Hunnebelle shots all the aspects of Thailand with a sure sense of good filmaker : jungle, city, lost temple. As for the genre, it is a subtle mixing of spy movie, horror movie (Robert "LE VAMPIRE DE DUSSELDORF" Hossein is amazing in mad doctor), erotic movie (Pier Angeli & Dominique Wilms are beautiful). Kerwin Matthews is "honorable" though maybe a little less "à l'aise" than Frederick Stafford in the leading role. Recently released on French cable in beautiful new prints respecting the original size, this full serie of O.S.S. 117 "made in France" but "shot outdoors" between in the 60's is quite refreshing and keeps an unaltered charm so far... Whit not a DVD release in a collector coffret including all the movies of the serie, somme commentaries and some original poster and lobby cards reproductions ?
I loved this movie
aarasan200226 October 2013
This movie was released in India as 'Panic in Bangkok' around the same time that Goldfinger became a raging hit. Panic in Bangkok was a big hit too and it launched a huge following for the OSS 117 franchise, which went on to star Fredrick Stafford. This movie was so popular that it was remade in Tamil as 'Vallavan Oruvan' which made actor Jaishankar a star. I loved this movie and although I was hooked to Sean Connery's Bond franchise, I found the OSS 117 series equally credible and most of them were good. Panic in Bangkok was the best and Kerwin Mathews was one of the popular stars of the time with his other movies like 'Viscount' also doing great business. I have been trying to get hold of DVD's of the OSS 117 films, which unfortunately are never played on TV in the US.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
dbdumonteil1 May 2017
Based on Jean Bruce 's "Lila De Calcutta" ,which ,as the title reads ,took place in India ,the action was transposed to Thailand whilst keeping the subject :plague bacillus injected by "the chosen ones " to eliminate the shameful human race who destroys the world with their atomic bomb.
After exploiting the swashbucklers,in the wake of James Bond ,Hunebelle made his first (black and white) OSS 117 in 1963 ("OSS 117 Se Déchaine ",also starring Matthews as the lead).For his second effort in the field ,Prodis productions granted color , composer Michel Magne - less inspired than in the Angelique saga- and filming on location.In fact ,only 25% of the film was filmed in Thailand.Kerwin Matthews and Pier Angeli were able to combine business with pleasure ,but Robert Hossein and Dominique Wilms never left Paris where they did all their scenes in Boulogne-Billancourt studios.
This is the kind of movie in which the scenery ,at a time when people would not travel much, is the real star.Robert Hossein (who would also play a doctor in Hunebelle ' s last attempt "Pas De Roses Pour OSS 117"(1968)) gives a restrained performance as the villain doctor Sinn (sic),the best thing to do when a clever actor has to work with ,say, very average material.Kerwin Matthews lacks Connery's charisma and humor and Pier Angeli is pretty but bland .
Having said that,the best OSS 117 Hunebelle made was certainly his third one "Furia A Bahia Pour OSS 117",(1965)starring Frederick Stafford and Mylene Demongeot.
After exploiting the swashbucklers,in the wake of James Bond ,Hunebelle made his first (black and white) OSS 117 in 1963 ("OSS 117 Se Déchaine ",also starring Matthews as the lead).For his second effort in the field ,Prodis productions granted color , composer Michel Magne - less inspired than in the Angelique saga- and filming on location.In fact ,only 25% of the film was filmed in Thailand.Kerwin Matthews and Pier Angeli were able to combine business with pleasure ,but Robert Hossein and Dominique Wilms never left Paris where they did all their scenes in Boulogne-Billancourt studios.
This is the kind of movie in which the scenery ,at a time when people would not travel much, is the real star.Robert Hossein (who would also play a doctor in Hunebelle ' s last attempt "Pas De Roses Pour OSS 117"(1968)) gives a restrained performance as the villain doctor Sinn (sic),the best thing to do when a clever actor has to work with ,say, very average material.Kerwin Matthews lacks Connery's charisma and humor and Pier Angeli is pretty but bland .
Having said that,the best OSS 117 Hunebelle made was certainly his third one "Furia A Bahia Pour OSS 117",(1965)starring Frederick Stafford and Mylene Demongeot.
Unexciting adventure movie
sundar-222 April 2001
Jean Bruce's Hubert Bonnisseur le Bath was France's answer to James Bond. Like Ian Fleming, Jean Bruce became rich thanks to his best-selling novels featuring OSS 117, i.e., Hubert Bath. Despite the French name inherited from his Gallic ancestors, Hubert Bath is an American who is a secret agent for the OSS, the predecessor of the CIA. Jean Bruce's books were turned into movies. Apparently popular in France at that time, they never found an international audience. Watching "Banco a Bangkok pour OSS 117" (English title: Panic in Bangkok), one understands why. The production values are quite bad. OSS 117 seems to be a carbon copy of James Bond. He is irresistible to women; he is good at fisticuffs, etc, etc. Kerwin Mathews who plays the lead role tries to be suave. Of course, he does not have Sean Connery's charisma or presence. The story is formulaic though it anticipates Moonraker, the James Bond flick. An evil Indian doctor, Dr.Guna Sinn (the name does not sound Indian) working in Thailand has developed a biological weapon that will reduce the world's population in accordance with his eugenicist beliefs. OSS 117 has to stop him with the help of a Thai sidekick and seduce the Indian doctor's sister Lila while he is at it.
I watched this movie as a boy many years ago. At that time, it seemed that the acting was adequate. I am sure that I won't think so now. Jean Bruce's books which have been translated into English were far superior to the OSS 117 flicks. Quite the opposite of Ian Fleming, whose books can't hold a candle to the films they engendered. Indeed Jean Bruce was a better writer than Ian Fleming. Read the OSS 117 books. Avoid the movies.
(Reviewed by Sundar Narayan)
I watched this movie as a boy many years ago. At that time, it seemed that the acting was adequate. I am sure that I won't think so now. Jean Bruce's books which have been translated into English were far superior to the OSS 117 flicks. Quite the opposite of Ian Fleming, whose books can't hold a candle to the films they engendered. Indeed Jean Bruce was a better writer than Ian Fleming. Read the OSS 117 books. Avoid the movies.
(Reviewed by Sundar Narayan)
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