Kommissar X jagt die roten Tiger - FBI: Operation Pakistan a.k.a. Tiger Gang (1971)

The final film in the Kommisar X series is also the hardest to find. I know because in deciding to review the entire series it was the one that gave me the hardest time running down. I could get an expensive copy on EBay but I really didn’t want to do that. I could find copies in German but that would prevent my doing a review. I finally stumbled on an awful print on You Tube and after fifteen minutes I realized why the film is so hard to find, it’s so bad no one wants to release it.

The plot of the film has Walker and Rowland getting involved in smashing a secret brotherhood which is running opium out of Afghanistan into Iran, Iraq and eventually Pakistan where it is then sent to the US. Little happens, and none of it is exciting.

A Pakistani co-production the film doesn’t feel like any of the other films in the series. It was one of the first international co-productions with the Pakistani film industry, made to help spark further co-productions. While further films happened it wasn’t because of this film, which frequently forgets the nominal main characters (are they even in this?) in order to highlight Pakistani location and characters. While it wouldn’t be bad if it moved things along, that isn’t the case and things just seem to run on and on to get things to feature length.

More comedy than action film (there is almost no real action) the film takes the worst parts of the series and amps them up. It’s all tongue in cheek and jokey with the result none of it is funny or engaging. It’s so bad that I would have shut it off had not committed to reviewing the film.

What were they thinking?

I guess everyone wanted a pay check. And I really mean this is a pay check film or a paid vacation because everyone looks like they are on holiday at a resort making a home movie. No matter how serious things are supposed to be everyone has a smile or a smirk on their faces. Clearly they had a grand time…

… which is something that doesn’t carry over to the audience- this is just a painful viewing experience. It’s so bad you know why this killed the franchise.

This is a sad ignoble end to a super series. Honestly this is the only film in the entire Kommisar X series that isn’t worth the effort

Avoid this film at all costs.

Kommissar X-Three Golden Serpents a.k.a. The Island of Lost Girls (1969)

This is the first film in the Kommissar X series I ever saw and it hooked me. the fact that it just starts and goes straight on to the end was such a delight. While not a perfect film it still is an absolute delight for anyone wanting to see a movie that is sound and fury and in no way deep.

After the daughter of a rich woman is kidnapped by a group planning on turning her into a sex slave for their ends she calls in Joe Walker to try and track down where she went. Hooking up once more with Captain Rowland the pair are attacked at every turn by the baddies who fear that they will discover their evil plan. They are so afraid of the pair that they promise to release the missing daughter if Walker and Rowland are sent away.

Full of great locations, its a Bangkok that no longer exists, and pretty much non-stop action. There is zero attempt at explaining who our heroes are, they are the good guys and that's fine since the plot never stops moving and the violence is never more than two or three minutes away. It doesn't make a lick of sense but it doesn't really matter since this film is just so much damn fun.

Watching the film for the first time in several years for this series of reviews I was delighted that the film held up to my earlier feelings, even after wading through all of the other films in the series. If I was just seeing the film for the first time I would have fallen for it because it is, on it's own terms, such an absolute delight.

To be honest the details in the plotting makes zero sense. Things happen just to keep the plot moving. For example one character escapes from the secret island but has no idea where it is despite driving a boat from it. Additionally Walker and Rowland are trying to run down a tattoo  linked to the bad guy but never notice that the lead henchmen carries a scepter in the shape of the tattoo. The lack of sense isn't fatal even if it is funny, because things just keep moving along.

I love this film. It is one of the best in the entire Kommissar X series and a damn fine film on it's own terms. Highly recommended.

The film is available from Sinister Cinema and is free streaming from Amazon Prime.

Kommissar X – Drei blaue Panther (de) - Three Blue Panthers a.k.a. Kill Panther Kill (1967)

Fifth film in the Kommisar X series is tonally all over the place with the result that despite some great action sequences the film is a chore to get through.

The film begins with a jail break that leaves three police officers dead. It seems that the escapee knows where a cache of stolen jewels are hidden and the guys breaking him out want the jewels. Of course so do other groups including Joe Walker who is working for the insurance company.

Running a very long 89 minutes the film suffers from being padded in numerous places. Part of the padding comes in the form of location footage of a rodeo and partly it's padded in that the film frequently stops so the various characters can chase each other or Walker and Rowland for no really good reason.

The film also develops a rather dumb sense of humor with several gags stretched to the point of breaking and a jokey score which kills any thought of suspense. I never laughed and just kept checking my watch.

On the other hand the film does have a few great set pieces such as the opening escape and the judo school fight which make it kind of worth seeing.

Recommended only for fans of the series.

Kommissar X – Drei grüne Hunde - Death Trip (1967)

Fourth film in the Kommisar X series has lots of action if little sense. It is also one of the best looking films in the series and one of the few ones to really include characters outside of the main action.

The plot of the film has Captain Rowland transport a million dollars worth of LSD to Turkey for the army. The want it in case of an unconventional war. However it is eyed by  group of bad guys who want it for their own purposes. Joe Walker gets sucked into it when a conversation he has in a bar leads the bad guys to think he knows something about the LSD. Mayhem results.

Filled with real characters beyond Rowland and Walker  this is ultimately one of the best in the series.... assuming you just let the plot go where it wants to. All of the sequences are really good, with some great characters, the problem is the plotting that keeps everything linked up really isn't there so trying to make sense of it can be frustrating.

Then again the action sequences in this film are really great, and they get better as the film goes on with two of the best, one in a castle and it's tower and another set in the desert holding our attention  simply because they are just so freaking cool. (I never expected the motorcycle chase to go that way)

I really love this film a great deal and it's highly recommended, especially if you get the gorgeous print from Sinister Cinema.

Kommissar X: So Darling So Deadly (1966)

A step back in the series after DEATH IS NIMBLE DEATH IS QUICK, SO DEADLY SO DARLING feels so much like the first film that one wonders if this wasn't shot second and released third.

This time out Joe Walker and Tom Rowland end up is Singapore trying to help a scientist who has created a lens that will intensify a laser beam. The lens is wanted by the Golden Dragon a hooded bad guy with a huge army.

This is an odd film. The relationship between Walker and Rowland is the well written and mirrors the one they have through most of the series, with witty repartee, however the plotting is a complete mess. Walker and Rowland kind of stagger around and fall into fights which lead them in a direction were another fight happens. Nothing really makes any sense, its just European actors wandering around beating up Asian henchmen.

Its hard to believe that this film comes chronologically after DEATH IS NIMBLE... since it feels it feels like the bridge between that and the first film KISS KISS KILL KILL which had a sort of plot and sort of characters. Additionally a bunch of the actors from the first film carry over here in similar roles.

As messy as the film is, it's actually not bad if you like action films and aren't too demanding. The reason it isn't bad is that the film doesn't stop moving. It is constant motion from fight to place to fight to fight to place to place to fight... There is so much fisticuffs that you can't help but wonder how the heroes manage to keep their shirts spotless and undamaged.

High art this is not- pure popcorn chomping entertaiment it is.

Worth a look if you come upon it or are a fan of 1960's Euro-action

Kommisar X: Death is Nimble Death is Quick (1966)

Second of the Kommisar X series  has private eye Joe Walker (Tony Kendall) and NYC police Captain  Tom Roland (Brad Harris) called to Sri Lanka in order to investigate the death of a government official and protect an heiress which are tied to the criminal organization known as The Golden Cats.

I recently came upon a beautiful widescreen copy of this film via Sinister Cinema and decided to dive into the film for the first time in several year. Seeing the film in a beautiful widescreen the film improved greatly from past viewings.  While I have always been a fan of the series DEATH IS NIMBLE always was a mixed bag wit some great action sequences mixed with a bit too much talk.

What is interesting about the film from a historical perspective is not so much the fact it is clearly influenced by the Bond series, rather it's the fact that the killer knows karate. When this film came out martial arts were just  being integrated into western films and to have the fact tat a killer knowing how to kill with just his hands must have seemed fantastic. Now of course it feels kind of quaint. On the other and it does allow for a pretty good show down for in an ancient temple at the end.

After a bang up start and some nice bits along the way (the action, the flesh eating bacteria, the witty repartee) this is not as good as some of the other entries in the series. The problem here is the film has long sections where there is too much exposition. It's not so much that there is exposition rather that the film stops moving during it. Part of the problem is that there are simply way too many side characters to carry the film with two heroes, two girls, multiple secondary good guys, four or five bad guys plus other level characters and they all get quality screen time. It makes for a well rounded group but it slows the progress of the plot way down.

Reservations aside this is a really good series and is highly recommended especially if you are a fan of 1960's action films  and liked films like the Jerry Cotton series or similar films.

Kommisar X Kiss Kiss Kill Kill (1965)

First of the Kommisar X films has Tony Kendall as Joe Walker and Brad Harris as Captain Rowland investigating the murder of several politicians and scientists by a band of killer it women controlled by a gold loving madman.

The Kommisar X series were based on novels by Bert F Island (real name Paul Alfred Mueller). Walker was a New York private eye who worked with NYC police Captain Rowland.  The film series was action packed thrill rides were Rowland and Walker cracked wise and beat up bad guys. While the films were made in reaction to the Bond films, they tended to be less spectacular if slightly more action action packed.

KISS KISS KILL KILL is an odd start to the series since it overtly apes the James Bond films, especially GOLDFINGER and DR NO with a villain with a personality of the former and a look similar to the latter.  The huge spectacle doesn't really work here, owing in large part to the lack of a matching budget. It also doesn't really work since the plot plays like a couple dozen other Bond film rip offs of the period.

The film suffers from a certain uncertainty as to what it is. Part of the problem is things are tad rambling, the plot isn't really clear for a least a third of its running time. The film also really doesn't know how to handle the Walker/Rowland dynamic which in later films had the pair as friends if not defacto partners. Here they battle each other as much as they battle the villain.

I will give the film points for not be really specific as to where it's set. While the main characters are supposed to be New Yorkers that clearly isn't the case here. This is somewhere in Europe

While not a bad film, it's enjoyable on its own terms, I think it plays best if you aren't a huge fan of the other films in the series since it doesn't feel like the other films.