i SPY EUROSPY: Code Name Jaguar

Code Name: Jaguar
Director: Maurice Labro
Year 1965
 
Code Name: Jaguar is an exceptionally fun Eurospy film that stars Ray Danton as the extremely charming secret agent named Jaguar. With a Eurospy formula that is right on the money, there aren’t too many surprises to be had within this film, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have a blast seeing it all predictably unfold. With enough beautiful women and spectacular action set pieces, Code Name: Jaguar is set up to be one hell of a great Eurospy guilty pleasure.
 
The film follows super spy Jeff Larson, AKA Jaguar, as he is assigned to a mission that has him trying to discover the where-abouts of a new Russian spy device that is at present costing his organization a good deal of precious information to leak into the wrong hands. With the help of a few fellow agents, namely Robert Stuart played by Roger Hanin, and a string of sexy female companions, played by Pascale Petit and Helga Sommerfeld, Larson dives head long into the fray, determined to find out what is at the bottom of this mysterious plot. The film is a great deal of fun and with a wide array of exotic scenery, beautiful women, and the inclusion of a double agent, this film really packs on the entertainment value in this little seen gem of a Eurospy film. 

Ray Danton pulls off another masterful secret agent role in Code Name: Jaguar, bringing all the fun and thrills that he would later gift to his other two spy outings, New York Calling Superdragon and Lucky the Inscrutable. With a shit eating grin and a swagger to boot, Danton makes his fearless hero an invincible badass, able to detonate bombs with no care in the world plus take on an army of Russian thugs like he’s playing tag in a school yard at recess. The character of Jeff Larson seems to be oblivious to the concepts of death, for he takes on all of these insurmountable odds with an ear to ear grin.
 
This playful demeanor carries on over to his frequent interactions with the opposite sex. The man can’t get enough of them, often attempting to date multiple women at the same time as we see when both his intended lovers meet up for a dinner out. The film has no shortage of female beauties for our unstoppable agent to play around with and Larson takes every advantage into getting to know them better. Pascale Petit plays the subtly beautiful Pilar Perez, the fellow agent of Jaguar who slowly comes out of her shell once Larson is able to get her between the sheets. Another feisty conquest of Larson’s is the shady Lina Calderon, played by the sultry Helga Sommerfeld. She smokes up the screen in several scenes, one in particular being when she is taking a ride with Larson on a boat. She can’t seem to keep her hands of him, showing that agent Jaguar is one bad mother…. Shut your mouth! Obviously in this spy outing, they don’t give the ladies that much to do aside from being pawns in Larson’s sexcapades, but hey Eurospy flicks are known to do that more often then not. This film particularly revels in this mindset and it’s a whole bunch of wild and ludicrous fun.

As for the wild moments of Code Name: Jaguar, we have quite a few. The gadgets are as usual spectacular, showing some of the most strangest of espionage devices this side of a Bond film, like a tiny camera hidden inside the button of a jacket to a small ring housing a communicator device that Jaguar uses frequently throughout the picture. Another more notable gadget that the Russian’s use on our defiant secret agent is a mind control device that when strapped to the head of Larson, emits a series of colorful lights that supposedly turn any secret agent into a fun loving commie. Unfortunately for the Russians, Jaguar doesn’t seem to have much of a problem withstanding the devices lure as he brushes off the hypnotic lights and starts a full blown rebellion from within the secret lair of the head villain’s estate.
 
In another entertaining scene of the film, Larson has to defuse a bomb that is tied to a surveillance camera out in the middle of nowhere. Disrobing down to just a pair of pants, because everyone knows that this is the best way to disarm a bomb, Larson listens to a prerecorded tape of another bomb diffusers failed attempt earlier in the film. By listening to the recording, he’s able to follow step by step, eventually trying out some of his own theories after reaching the part where the now deceased disarmers go boom. It’s an overly long scene, but gives a strangely different tone from the rest of the movie. Well it can’t be all shits and giggles all the time for Jaguar can it?

Code Name: Jaguar is a typical Eurospy flick that has an exceptional secret agent in the form of Ray Danton’s Jaguar. His charisma and overall charm carry the movie, making it more of a fun filled romp then a serious espionage film. The thrilling moments are comprised of Danton charming the pants of a number of ladies while at the same time battling the Russians on land and by sea. The cast does an exceptional job and the lovely ladies of the film are just that, lovely.
 
This entry in the Eurospy cannon of films is a no-brainer. It has all the elements that make this genre great and it’s a sure fire way to entertain the super spy lover in you. As always Danton impresses and it’s nice to know that after this film was completed, he went on to star in two more wonderful entries in the Eurospy world. If you’re curious about the genre and you want to ease into these fun filled stories of guns, girls, and gadgets, then Code Name: Jaguar is a safe bet. I only wish they would have called it by another and more appropriate name……

Shut up and kiss me you tricky bitch.

This.... is... a.... map.

I just adore the way you clog up those lungs.

Looks like Jaguar's been caught with his pants down again.

Just the two of us. Painting castles in the sky.

Check out these jaguar moves.

Stop that right now you two or someone is going to get hurt!

Looks like Jaguar is on the prowl.

Great job shithead. You've landed us on Mars!

Oh what a pickle I'm in.

Stop right there smart guy and take a look at my turtle neck sweater.

The entire cast attempts to lazily raise the roof.

I usually play Operation naked and alone, but feel free to join in if you want.

What do you mean we're not having sex?!?!?!

They don't call him Jaguar for nothing.

He's enjoying the torture! God you're sick!

Wait a second.... This towel doesn't smell lemony fresh!

And the contest for shortest shorts is at a stand still.

i SPY EUROSPY: Our Agent Tiger

Our Agent Tiger
Director: Claude Chabrol
Year 1965
 
Our Agent Tiger is the second film to follow the exploits of secret agent Louis Rapiere AKA the Tiger, a man that can take one hell of a beating and still keep on ticking. In this Eurospy blast, Tiger is assigned to watch over a diving team as they recover a sunken treasure. Unfortunately for Tiger and especially the diving team, a nefarious organization known as The Orchid want their hands on the good stuff too, resulting in a horrific massacre that nearly takes the lives of Rapiere and his sidekick Duvet.
 
After swimming ashore, the two find themselves deep within a diabolic neo-Nazi plot with enough danger and intrigue to shake a stick at. What follows is an enjoyable series of events that put the duo up against sexy femme fatales, deadly assassins, whip wielding henchmen, and an evil organization that will stop at nothing in order for them to obtain world domination. Sounds like a good time, so let’s get into the thick of it.

Like most Eurospy films, Our Agent Tiger has a tongue and cheek attitude that it wears on its sleeve with unabashed delight. Louis Rapiere AKA the Tiger, is a cocky and hard headed, literally, secret agent that never stops cracking a smile while battling with the bad guys. Roger Hanin reprises the role of Tiger and he does another commendable job. I really enjoyed his first effort as the fearless agent in Code Name: Tiger, and in this entry he seems to be having the time of his life. He has a swagger and attitude about him that almost makes him come off as a jerk, but he quickly becomes sympathetic when you see the amount of abuse that his character goes through while taking on some tremendous odds.
 
The fight scenes in Our Agent Tiger are just brutal, coming off as more of a mad-cap brawl to the death then any kind of choreographed duel. Often times Tiger resorts to using his head as a battle ram, diving head long into his opponents midsection in a desperate attempt to gain some ground. It’s kind of humorous to see play out, because most of the time he is stumbling through these fight scenes, barely appearing fully with it after receiving such a large amount of punishment from the huge number of henchman that he encounters. The guy is like Rocky but without the training. He can take anything they dish out, but he won’t look like the most graceful of fighters while in the process. For me the awkward and brutal fight scenes added to the fun factor of the film.

There are also some rather enjoyable characters in the movie, aside from Hanin’s Tiger. Take Rapiere’s sidekick for instance, Duvet, played by Roger Dumas. He comes off as a bumbling science type, but given the opportunity he can deal out some pretty sweet moves when forced to act. There seems to be a playful relationship between the two agents, Tiger and Duvet, where they take turns saving each other over the course of the film. I also thought it was kind of funny, but strange, that Tiger felt the need to slap Duvet on the head whenever they were going to leave a room or after someone just finished an important line of transitional dialogue. It’s a running gag, that never is really addressed, making it that much more odd and effective. Their dual presence in the film is a nice added feature and they both play off of each other perfectly.
 
Another perfect feature of Our Agent Tiger, is the inclusion of the one and only Eurospy goddess, Margaret Lee. She plays the role of a double agent, working within the ranks of The Orchid organization. She doesn’t get as much screen time as I would have liked, but the moments that she does appear are pure gold. She plays a sexy and seductive temptress in the first portion of her role, forcing Tiger to be on his guard at all times when around her, but after her cover is blown and she goes from Orchid spy to Orchid prisoner, Tiger does everything he can to save her. The filmmakers even came up with a brilliant outfit for Lee to be draped in for the grand finale of the film. After being exposed as a double agent, Lee is chained up at the foot of the leader of Orchid and forced to wear a skimpy leopard-skin loincloth. This scene looks like some kind of obscure version of Princess Leia in Jabba the Hutt’s palace, but damn if I don’t like this iteration better. Call me crazy but Lee can’t be beat! I love her brief but affective role in this film and as usual, she knocks it out of the park.

Our Agent Tiger is a brilliant Claude Chabrol directed Eurospy that, while not one of the most accomplished of secret agent films, has a great deal going for it. Roger Hanin is great as Tiger, giving an almost too cocky performance, but having that quality can never be a bad thing in this genre. The audacity of his character is entertaining as hell and the physical nature of his role is phenomenally fun.
 
The addition of both Roger Dumas’ Duvet character and Margaret Lee’s double agent are strokes of Eurospy genius and each character brings their own positives to the production. Margaret Lee especially, because you don’t appear in as many Eurospy films as she has without having that special kind of quality that fits perfectly within these stories. She’s sexy, talented, and able to take on so many types of contradictory roles, that she becomes an asset to any film she finds herself in.
 
With all the entertaining aspects of Our Agent Tiger, you’d be hard pressed to not at least crack a smile during its run time. When it comes to Eurospy, you have to be up for a good time and with this film that’s exactly what you get. Our Agent Tiger is…….

Rapiere..... Louis Rapier. Screw it! Just call me Tiger.

Get up you idiot! Snow angels don't work if there's no snow.

Look at this dynamic duo.

Tiger can't believe this shit.

Now are you going to sit there and be a good boy?

Even in mourning Margaret Lee is hot.

Gotcha you little son of a bitch!

Laugh it up fun boy.

Have you seen this weirdo?

Oh there he is!

Have you heard the joke about the Doctor, the shark, and the sexy nurse?

Tiger, you must be dead inside to be able to ignore that!

Hey shithead! Who's driving the car?!?!

Talk about a rude awakening.

Nobody puts Margaret in the corner. Nobody!

You can't keep a good Tiger down.

Well that was one hell of a day.

Oh you crazy kids and your loving gazes.