Code 7, Victim 5

CODE 7, VICTIM 5 is now available in a cheap DVD, and for a few dollars (mine cost $3 US), it's passable entertainment, mostly for the presence of Lex Barker as private eye "Steve Martin" (same name as Raymond Burr's character in GODZILLA). This is a typical Harry Alan Towers production--find an out-of-the-way country where the pound/dollar goes a long way and without powerful unions, hire a lot of locals in small roles, use a lot of free locations to give the film "color," have Towers himself pen a by-the-numbers script over dinner or during a flight. South Africa photographs well (the film was shot by Nicholas Roeg, so it's no surprise), and is so unfamiliar to this American that the background almost becomes a character. The plot is the standard "someone is killing off one by one the members of a group from a previous time" and ex-Nazis are even dragged in. Ronald Fraser (best known in the USA for FATHOM, with Raquel Welch and the late great Tony Franciosa) does a good job as the local police inspector who finds jet-setting detective Barker to be a bit of a pest, but eventually realizes Barker's honesty and professionalism--Fraser and Barker are the perfect foils for each other. Nothing special here--probably of interest mostly to the Barker fan (or those who want a quick three-dollar travelogue of South Africa).

Woeful title aside, CODE 7, VICTIM 5 is a would-be, South African-set detective story from prolific B-movie producer Harry Alan Towers, who also wrote the thing under his 'Peter Welbeck' pseudonym. It stars man-of-the-moment Lex Barker as a private eye who's commissioned to investigate a mysterious murder among the upper crust in South Africa.

The best - and only good thing - about the movie is the location photography, captured in stunning detail by famed cinematographer Nicholas Roeg. This is a sunny, great-looking movie which allows you to see plenty of areas of the country usually missing in films; those drives around Table Mountain are particularly fine. A shame then, that the rest of the film is so sloppy.

The worst thing is undoubtedly Towers' script, which is mundane to say the least. Despite a few shoehorned-in fight scenes, this is dull, by-the-numbers stuff in which little happens to lift the story out of its lethargic gloom. Barker tours the country for a while, indulges in some light romance with a string of Euro-crumpet in scenes reminiscent of a Connery Bond flick, and finally tackles the villain whose identity is revealed at the climax.

The cast put in strictly ordinary performances and Barker fails to show even an ounce of charisma, so you end up wondering why was such a star of his day. He looks a little like a young Stephen Baldwin to me. Some of the action sequences are okay, like an impressive car chase early on, but for the most part this is a chore and rightly forgotten.

Entertaining thriller,part adventures and part whodunit; nice cinematography with a good use of wide screen; the photograph trick is a variant on the "and then there were none" pattern but it provides private eye Barker with vital clues ;some scenes are pretty good for a B-movie: the prologue where the butler is pursued by three masked men who look like clowns is effective ;besides the directing takes advantage of the magnificent caves and the shadows on the wall increase the suspense ; on the other hand ,the cable car sequence is not fully exploited. The official cop serves as a foil to sleuth Lex.,then very popular in Germany thanks to the "Winnetou " movies.

Made in 1964. In some countries, this is victim 5, in some countries, its "code 7 victim 5". Lex barker is american private eye steve martin. I know, i can't stop picturing the american standup slash film star! Steve has a meeting with rich mining bigshot wexler (riller). Wexler's servant has been knocked off, and wexler wants to get to the bottom of it. It runs kind of like a james bond film, but at a cheaper budget and slower pace. When they have killed a wild lion, we even hear james bondish sounding music. Beautiful scenery of the cliffs, bays, mountains, and parks as they go traipsing around south africa following clues. There's a quirky inspector lean ( fraser), who nevers seems to be at his office. He's too busy having drinks with the steady stream of girls in bikinis who are always walking past. Directed by robert lynn, british director, who made "mozambique" just after this. Murder and mayhem in exotic places. Story by harry towers, who was a prolific writer and producer. Barker died at 54, of a bad heart. The film is okay.

Prolific producer & writer Harry Alan Towers concocted the story for this lightly entertaining, eminently forgettable action-thriller set in South Africa. Lex Barker ("The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism") stars as "Steve Martin" (!), an American private eye hired by copper mine owner Wexler (Walter Rilla, "The Scarlet Pimpernel") to find out who murdered his valet, and why. It turns out that the crime has a connection to the men in a key photograph left by the victims' body.

The main novelty here is the Cape Town setting. It's very attractively photographed by Nicolas Roeg, and the scenery is often breathtaking. The story is enjoyable enough, but nothing special. It doesn't help that the ending is kind of clumsy, as the antagonist basically reveals themselves in a rather abrupt manner.

Still, the second unit work is first-rate. Those scenes of driving by the sea are excellent, and the film actually stops cold for about three or four minutes for a major underwater sequence that, much like the scenes on land, is very well photographed. The jazzy score by Johnny Douglas is jaunty and fun to listen to.

The cast is enjoyable to watch. Barker is a charismatic hero who of course always has time for the ladies. But then, so does jovial police inspector Lean (Ronald Fraser, "Fathom"). Fraser and French babe Veronique Vendell ("Barbarella") are most amusing, with the latter playing Wexlers' hot-to-trot stepdaughter who practically throws herself at Steve. Danish beauty Ann Smyrner ("Reptilicus") is appealing as Wexlers' secretary. Dietmar Schonherr (who also acted for director Robert Lynn in "Mozambique") and Gert van den Bergh ("The Naked Prey") also co-star.

All in all, this is the kind of non-challenging, easygoing, amiable entertainment that you throw on if you just want to relax for an hour and a half.

Six out of 10.