With the success of the James Bond films, it isn't surprising that film companies around the world tried to cash in on this success with their own secret agents. There were Italian and German James Bond-type super heroes in the 60s and agent Jerry Cotton (George Nader) was the German Bond-like guy...sort of. They made eight Jerry Cotton films with this same actor...and "The Violin Case Murders" is the first of them.
It's obvious at the start this film lacks the budget of a Bond film. After all, it's in black & white even though all four Bond pictures up to that time were in full color. Additionally, the opening song and much of the music sucks...and is nothing like you'd expect for a spy flick. It seems, at times, as if the music was just chosen randomly. Likewise, sometimes New York locales were badly rear projected to make it (kinda) look like they're in the city...a bit sloppy.
As for Agent Cotton, he's NOT exactly a Bond-type...at least in this film. Instead of some international organization of evil or communism, Cotton is with the FBI...which is a domestic organization. In this case, his quarry is less global...it's a gang who apparently is going to blow up a school in New York City...but which one and when, Cotton is recruited to find out personally. So he infiltrates the gang and becomes an apparent trusted member. Can he manage to pull this off and save the kids AND himself AND capture the evil thugs?
Despite the bad music and cheap production values, this is a pretty exciting film. I like that Cotton is NOT a sexy guy who beds women but is a bit more believable. But he's also a great fighter...sort of like a fighting machine...so he's not completely 'normal'! The film is well enough made and has an interesting plot...enough to make me want to see more of these films.
It's obvious at the start this film lacks the budget of a Bond film. After all, it's in black & white even though all four Bond pictures up to that time were in full color. Additionally, the opening song and much of the music sucks...and is nothing like you'd expect for a spy flick. It seems, at times, as if the music was just chosen randomly. Likewise, sometimes New York locales were badly rear projected to make it (kinda) look like they're in the city...a bit sloppy.
As for Agent Cotton, he's NOT exactly a Bond-type...at least in this film. Instead of some international organization of evil or communism, Cotton is with the FBI...which is a domestic organization. In this case, his quarry is less global...it's a gang who apparently is going to blow up a school in New York City...but which one and when, Cotton is recruited to find out personally. So he infiltrates the gang and becomes an apparent trusted member. Can he manage to pull this off and save the kids AND himself AND capture the evil thugs?
Despite the bad music and cheap production values, this is a pretty exciting film. I like that Cotton is NOT a sexy guy who beds women but is a bit more believable. But he's also a great fighter...sort of like a fighting machine...so he's not completely 'normal'! The film is well enough made and has an interesting plot...enough to make me want to see more of these films.