646f9e108c When a millionaires valet is murdered he hires a detective to discover by who and why his valet was killed, leading to connections of the nazi sort! To begin with, what kind of name is Code 7, Victim 5? From what I saw, this ridiculous title has nothing to do with anything that takes place in the movie.<br/><br/>Lex Barker plays some sort of security consultant / detective who is hired by a wealthy man in South Africa. The wealthy man fears for his life and needs protection. A paying job is a paying job so Barker sets off for South Africa. There he finds one of the most uneventful adventures ever put on film. There's not much for Barker to do other than hook-up with every average looking female in the country and carry out his lame investigations. There's no suspense. There's no intrigue. There's not even a good cheesy spy movie type moment to save this mess. This is one of those rare films set in an exotic local with a mysterious killer on the loose that actually manages to be deathly dull. The only things that save Code 7, Victim 5 from the bottom of the barrel are a few random set-pieces that I found mildly interesting. This is one to avoid. The influence of Bond is writ large in this very cheap and Mystery Science Theater-worthy thriller (cf Agent for H.A.R.M.). Lex Barker saunters through most of the action as Steve Martin, hand in pocket, careful not to take things too seriously and mostly incredulous at the unmotivated action that unravels around him.<br/><br/>From the moment he disembarks at Cape Town harbour he is beset with snooping policemen, eager women and danger. As a Capetonian, it is really funny watching Helga (Ann Smyrner) drive Steve along the Atlantic seaboard while driving over picturesque Chapman's Peak (twice) which is on the opposite side of the mountains. Of course, the reason for this is to throw in an action-packed car-chase.<br/><br/>Seductive and dangerous woman (check), villain with a foreign accent (check), innovative but failed assassination attempts (check, including underwater scuba manoeuvre), dramatic exterior set-pieces (check, including unnecessary trip to the Cango Caves and game park), dangerous animals (check), racist exploitation of local scenes and people (check).<br/><br/>The opening scene (which uncannily foreshadows Live and Let Die)is great and gives viewers a chance to see District Six on screen. This was just before the apartheid government began its program of forced removals. The Table Mountain climax - the film's alternate title is Table Bay - is both laughable and spectacular, and so badly edited you wonder if everyone was enjoying Cape Town's beach action a little too much. Still, it's a curiosity for those keen to see Cape Town in a previous era, or to see the influence of the espionage genre in the wake of James Bond.
Sportobolcess Admin replied
295 weeks ago