Dir: Yves Boisset
Star: Claudio Brook, Margaret Lee, Hans Meyer, Klaus Kinski

The titular character was the hero of an extremely long-running series of novels, written by Belgian author “Paul Kenny”. Quotes used there, since Kenny didn’t exist, being a nom de plume, initially used by Gaston Van den Panhuyse and Jean Libert. The non-existent Mr. Kenny wrote a remarkable 237 Coplan novels, beginning in 1953 with Sans Issue (No Exit). At its peak, they were selling 3.5 million copies a year, and their success led to six feature-film adaptations, as well as a TV miniseries and a long-running comic adaptation.

This was the last of the six movies, which had started with Action immédiate (To Catch a Spy) in 1957. Much like the Bond films which were their inspiration, different actors played the part of agent Francis Coplain. Actually, the six films starred six different actors in the role! This is the only one I’ve seen, but what stands out in particular here is the hero’s solo approach. There’s no indication of any organization behind Coplan, and not even a tech wizard to provide him with gadgets. He’s just left to fend for himself, with the fate of the world potentially on the line, until the late arrival of the authorities on the scene.

Most of this takes place in Istanbul, and it feels like a cross between From Russia With Love and Goldfinger, albeit probably more like the Ian Fleming novels than the movie adaptations of them. The first half has a lot of roaming around the city, interacting with all levels of society from itinerant bear handlers (!) to a sculptor/spiritualist (since that’s Kinski’s character, more on him later). The second has Coplan heading into the villain’s remote lair. where he is captured, and made to take part in a “human hunt.” It’s never quite clear what the villain is up to. There’s a door in the basement of his fortress, behind which is something which can (literally) melt your face off. But it’s more like the suitcase in Pulp Fiction – simply a MacGuffin.

This all kicks off when Coplan (Brook) gets a request for help from Mara (Lee), an old flame. She is scared for her life, as the scientist with whom she was working, just got stabbed to death in an Istanbul street. Her concern quickly proves to be justified, as she and Coplan get jumped by a group of thugs. Despite his heroic efforts, he gets knocked out and Mara is apparently killed. Rescued by a girl called Yasmine, whose grandfather is the beat handler mentioned above, Coplan vows to find the truth behind Mara’s death. His investigation leads to further corpses, bringing him to the attention of the local cops, led by Lieutenant Sakki of the Emniyet, who think he’s more likely the perpetrator than a victim.

Coplan discovers that Mara was a drug-addict, and is pointed in the direction of her supplier. Who turns out to be Thelier (Kinski) – the same sculptor/spiritualist mentioned earlier. Coplan shows up, disturbing one of his seances which Thelier is conducting with his shirt off, because… reasons. [I don’t think Kinski has his shirt on in any scene in the movie!] He seems to have been rather obsessed with Mara as well. Thelier reveals that he was able to reunite Mara with her brother, Hugo Gernsbach. Which is a surprise to Coplan, because Hugo supposedly died three years ago in a laboratory accident. “It just goes to prove, some ties are stronger than death” says Thelier enigmatically

When our hero goes to Gernsbach’s supposed grave, another lead presents itself. He sees what he initially believes to be Mara, on a hill overlooking the cemetery. After following the “dead” woman, Coplan discovers Mara’s doppelgänger, working as a dancer in a cabaret – and, I have to say, she’s pretty good at her job. It turns out to be Mara’s sister, Eva (also Lee), who was the black sheep of the family, and so was never discussed. After more deaths and an escape by Coplan from police custody, a further visit to Thelier, and a little spot of statue-smashing coaxes the location of Gernsbach’s lair out of him. It’s a breach of confidence which costs the sculptor dearly, being drowned in a sink at a Turkish bath by Gernsbach’s assassin for his sins.

This sets up the final act of the film, where Coplan basically marches into Gernsbach’s lair in the ominously named “Sepulcher Valley”. The villain couldn’t be more stereotypically Bond-esque if he tried, down to stroking the cat he carries around. His minions there include an Amazonian woman and a midget, while Yasmine (Ctrl-F if you don’t remember her; it was a while ago) is being dangled in an iron cage, in order to ensure Coplan’s compliance. As noted previously, this involves his participation in a hunting party – he’s the prey. However, Coplan manages to survive, leading to a final confrontation in the basement, where faces are duly melted, and we never discover the specifics of the global threat Gernsback is supposed to represent.

Unless you have a “topless Klaus” fetish – not that I’m judging – this is certainly a slight entry in the Kinski filmography, with him only appearing in three scenes. Despite that, and it being largely a shameless Bond knock-off, it’s still quite entertaining. There’s copious use of the Istanbul backdrop, which is always fun to see. The finale, if rather contrived (if you have to invoke ancient Hittite hunting traditions, you’re probably on thin ice), is fun. Not least, the moment where Coplan takes out an adversary with an impeccably accurate bit of poisonous spider tossing. It’s all nicely shot, and briskly-paced, if derivative.

What does Klaus have to say about the film? In Kinski Uncut, apparently nothing at all. But there is a passage in All You Need is Love, cut from the subsequent version, which appears to refer to it. “A film in Turkey. We shoot in a men’s brothel. Because of the endless filming, I come across only five cunts: one of my partners, two extras, a French barmaid, and a hefty Turkish waitress who works till four in the morning at an outdoor restaurant where fat Turkish women always appear singing for hours on end and never seem to stop.” There is a lot more about the last sexual partner. But I think we can take it as read, since it doesn’t exactly shed any light on the movie!