Le tigre se parfume à la dynamite (1965)

Directed by: Claude Chabrol | 90 minutes | comedy, adventure, crime | Actors: Roger Hanin, Roger Dumas, Michel Bouquet, Margaret Lee, Micaela Cendali, Michel Etcheverry, George Rigaud, José Nieto, Carlos Casaravilla, José María Caffarel, Assad Bahador

An attempt on Louis Rapière narrowly fails. As he runs after the one who fired the shot, he throws himself over the railing of a mountain terrace into the ravine. Under his lapel, the man has a note stating that there is no escaping ‘The Orchid’. Rapière does not have much time to think about this mysterious announcement, because his presence is urgently desired in Port-a-Pitre in French Guiana. Here too, his life is in danger as he tries to protect the gold treasure that has surfaced from the galleon off the coast from theft and here too he has to deal with the mysterious ‘Orchid’.

He soon finds out that the gold treasure is in the possession of Ricardo Sanchez (Carlos Casaravilla) who wants to unleash a revolution in Guyana after which he will establish a dictatorship. He is aided in his pursuit by an army of soldiers led by his ruthless daughter Sarita (Micaela Cendali) and a certain Jacques Vermorel (Michel Bouquet) who has connections with the ‘Orchid’ and will ensure that Sanchez gets the necessary weaponry for his revolution. Can Rapière recover and transport the gold treasure to France while also defusing the mysterious and very dangerous Orchid?

This film is possibly even more boring than its predecessor ‘Le tigre aime la chair fraiche’ (1964). The intrigue makes no sense, such as the presence of secret agents from various countries in the capital Cayenne. Their main occupation is to be there, but they barely contribute to the story. Also the screen with the mysterious ‘Orchid’ is ridiculous and annoying and the unmasking of the mastermind behind the infamous organization is equally ludicrous. Furthermore, the jokes are too abominable to even raise a laugh, and in the fights it’s unclear whether the cardboard performance is intentional parody of James Bond or whether it’s simply a lack of good stage directions or bad acting. In both cases there is little viewing pleasure to be had. It is incomprehensible why Chabrol once again went to all that trouble to make a James Bond spoof when it produces just as bad a film as his previous product. The film is neither exciting nor funny and this time also visually not very remarkable. A movie whose credits can’t start soon enough.