Wednesday, March 25, 2015

COPLAN FX 18 CASSE TOUT - Michel Magne - "FX-18 Superspy" (1965)

Welcome to Wrinkleproof Wednesday down in The Dungeon, and another installment of our ongoing Euro-Spy Series sponsored by The Cult Action team! Tonight's feature is a French action thriller titled "Coplan Fx-18 Casse Tout," and sometimes "Phantom FX-18," or "FX-18 Superspy!"

 "FX-18 Super Spy" is an interesting enough movie, and it has a lot of action and some cool locations, the only real problem is that for me it's not exactly an engaging film! On Eegah's Sleep-O-Meter, it gets a three! That means I only fell asleep three times while watching it! I do have a short attention span though, I will admit it!

Richard (The Strange Door) Wyler has the main role of FX-18, Francis Coplan! Coplan is an interesting character with some real history! There were  some 237 novels written about Francis Coplan as created by Paul Kenny, the nom de plume of Belgian authors Gaston Van den Panhuyse and Jean Libert, and his character first appeared in a film called "Action Immédiate" in 1957 as played by Henri Vidal! Coplan cropped up again in 1964 played by Ken Clark in "Agent Secret FX-18," then again in 1964 in "Coplan Prend Des Risques" as played by Dominique Paturel. Then there was this film also released as "Coplan FX-18 Strike Again" followed by "Mexican Slayride" in 1967, and "Coplan Saves His Skin" in 1968! Finally, in the late 80's and early 90's there was a French TV show called "Coplan!"

The music in this film was once again created by Maestro Michel Magne, and swings a lot harder than in "Fantômas Vs. Scotland Yard!"  Michel really got a chance to stretch out this time around! Here's what it sounds like when this gal is doing the va va voom!

Coplan gets a little testy when the service is too slow!!

Coplan is pretty slick, after he shoots the waiter, he rushes over and tells everyone that's it's going to be okay, because he is a Doctor, and then he disappears before any authorities show up!

These French film makers were either very tricky or nuts, or possibly both, to try a stunt like this!

 Valeria (For A Few Dollars Less) Ciangottini is Gelda, the agent with a weird hang-up for dolls! I really didn't get this part! She's gonna get it though!

Now this is an authentic looking gangster!!

"Let me ask you one more time! Where is Gelda?"

Coplan doesn't have a lot of time to do the hanky-panky, but when he does........

Coplan even encounters trouble when he's in the john!!

Jany (Hercules Against The Moon Men) Clair as Héléna Jordan is putting the squeeze on Coplan!

This is the scene they decided to use on the poster! In a hot pursuit, Coplan gets the front tire of his motorcycle shot, so he has to continue chasing them in the wheelie position only riding on the rear wheel, and he still manages to shoot them and not get shot!

This place in Turkey call Korem looks pretty damn interesting!

An actual cool cave that's not on Jupiter!!

WTF?! They've got a rocket in there!!?

"C'mon man, I haven't got all night, it's your move!!"

Snuffed out by a scoop shovel like he was getting eaten by Godzilla, Gil (Kiss Of Fire) Delamare as Shaimoun, Coplan's best buddy, sees the last light of night. Besides being an actor, Gil Delamare was also a stunt man, and during the filming of his next movie, "The Saint Lies in Wait," a mere seven months later, he did a dangerous stunt that was not completely in control, and the car he was driving broke the rear axle, ejecting the passengers and trapping Gil! Gil Delamare was dead at the age of 41!

No comments:

Monster Music

Monster Music
AAARRGGHHH!!!! Ya'll Come On Back Now, Y'Hear??