Train d'enfer

...and nothing more,or so little.Jean Marais was ditching the moribund cloak and dagger genre and tackling the spy thriller.Here he teams with Austrian Marisa Mell for sub-James Bond adventures.A good scene shows a fight in a tunnel -which might or might not have influenced "Mission:Impossible" (the first one)-.When I met Gilles Grangier shortly before he died ,he remembered how this sequence was hard to film.This work disappeared from the screens a long time ago,unlike most of Grangier's movies.

When fishermen find the body of a dead man in their nets, secret agent Antoine Donadieu starts investigating the murder. He soon learns that a Chriscraft that might have something to do with the murder has been spotted by a witness. It leads Donadieu to a luxurious villa, where some strange characters are living, including a violent valet called Hamlet, a painter with some resemblance with Salvator Dali and a gorgeous Senta Berger-like vamp with tempting lips, played by Austrian belle Marisa Mell (1939-1992). (After a terrible car crash in 1963, two years before this movie was made, she underwent heavy plastic surgery in the face)

Donadieu is an unconvincing answer to James Bond,unraveling a plot that might have endangered world peace. But except for an American car with a telephone, Donadieu's impressive knowledge of judo and karate and a laser gun, there are no exotic weapons nor fancy gadgets in the movie. The plot is only moderately enjoyable, and nor the beautiful locations, nor some nice cars (watch out for the superb silver Alfa Romeo sports-car) nor Mell can save this movie.

With his 52 years, Jean Marais was already an aging actor, and it really shows. Frankly, I don't get it, why his presence is supposed to be a plus for this movie. Furthermore, this film somehow hesitates too much between a serious spy flick à la "Spy who came in..." and a funny parody. It definitely is rather the latter, but it misses the humor and wild exaggerations which make Bond fans enthusiastic. As such, Train d'Enfer might be a disappointment for both Le Carré-fans and Bond-aficionados. Cameo role for reporter-radio star-actor and "Grosse Tête" Leon Zitrone (1914-1995)

I'd rate it something between 5 and 6/10. Based on the French video issued by Video Paradiso (VHS 508886)

Antoine Donadieu (Jean Marais) is a secret agent tasked with investigating a colleague who has been found drowned on the French Riviera. His suspicions lead him to a coastal villa where he encounters mysterious roles such as a painter (Carlos Casaravilla) , a strong hitman (Alvaro de Luna) who fights against him, and a suspicious but very belle woman. Shortly afterwards he learns of a deadly conspiracy led by a ruthless ringleader (Gérard Tichy) who plans to assassinate an Arab prince and replace him with his brother, all in order to prevent them from creating atomic weapons in their country. Along the way, the secret agent Antoine Donadieu attempts to thwart the plans of the criminal mind, for which he will stop at nothing.

Run-of-the-mill Euro-spy movie packs noisy action, spectacular pursuits, betrayal, shootouts, twists and turs. It has gorgeous outdoors with Mallorca scenery handsomely shot thanks to cameraman Antonio Macasoli , -pretending to be the French Riviera-, explosive women and including some top-notch fight scenes, and a deadly serious confrontation at a train tunnel . It has some flaws and gaps , as it does tend to get a bit old , including repetitive nature of some fight scenes , but it has big fun , so it cares . Although in 1967 the Eurospy craze was already running a bit thin , but this is a passable private eye stuff , with its ups and downs and plot holes . A fashion and run-of-the-mill spy film at the time , meaning it stuck to a lot of what was currently popular , but here displaying some embarrassing and non-sense scenes .

Stars Jean Marais in his fifties, he is still at his most agile and deft style , in fact he performs his own stunts . He acts in his usual style as a hard-boiled agent who fights, shoots and take down assassins and hoodlums. Enjoyable acting by Jean Marais , he gives a charming interpretation and manages to use his fists, guns and to do some acrobatics . Marais was a prestigious actor being special relevancy his relation to Jean Cocteau, as they remained close friends until Cocteau's death. Cocteau had a major influence on life and career of Jean Marais who appeared in almost every one of Cocteau's films. Together they made such classics as Beauty and the Beast (1946) , Orfeo (1950) and testament of Orfeo (1960) , to name a few . This was not the actor's first foray into swashbuckling cinema, as he had played in "The Intrepid Latour" (1959), or The Count of Montecristo (1954). He also starred several adventure movies mostly directed by Andre Hunebelle such as 1962 Mysteries of Paris , 1961 The miracle of the wolves , 1960 The captain and 1959 The hunchback . During the 1960s and 1970s, Marais went on to star in several popular comedies, such as the Fantomas (1964) trilogy -along with Louis de Funes- by director André Hunebelle . Lavish spectacle and good casting overcomes the somewhat sluggish storytelling that combines a number of familiar faces. Co-stars by the Austrian belle Marisa Mell (1939-1992), just before starring in his big hit, Danger: Diabolik . Main cast is franky excellent as well as the support cast with full of Spanish actors, such as: José María Caffarel, Carlos Casaravilla, Antonio Casas, Álvaro de Luna, Fernando Guillén, Hurtado, Víctor Israel, José Manuel Martín, Carlos Otero, Óscar Pellicer and the German-born Spaniard Gerard Tichy in his usual role as the bad guy.

The motion picture was professionally directed by Gilles Grangier, but nothing special . He preferred to make story and character-based entertainments, rather than creating the kind of 'message films' favoured by the New Wave. Parisian director, who began as a prop boy, extra and stunt man at the Billancourt film studios. Grangier was a prisoner-of-war, 1939-42. And close friend of Jean Gabin with whom he shot various films. Gilles was a good director and writer, a professional and prolific artisan who directed all kinds of genres, known for William the Conqueror (1982), Gross de París (1974), How to Keep the Red Lamp Burning(1965), Archimède, le clochard (1959), My Wife's Husband(1963), The Counterfeiters of Paris(1961), 125 rue Montmartre (1959) and The Night Affair (1958). Train d'enfer (1965), rating: 5.5/10. The film will appeal to Jean Marais and Marisa Mell fans.