Chabrol does Bond before Bond was cool — minus the budget, plus the attitude.
A Turkish ambassador arrives in Paris to sign an important trade agreement, allowing Turkey to buy a sophisticated new war plane from France. Immediately he is the target of an assassin, and a special agent is assigned to protect him.
Direction
Chabrol's playful sabotage of his own thriller instincts.
Acting
Roger Hanin's absurd commitment to 'Le Tigre' as persona.
Director
Claude Chabrol
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Chabrol made this immediately after 'Les Bonnes Femmes' flopped, desperately needing commercial credibility. The tension between art and commerce bleeds through every frame.
Daniela Bianchi became an international star this same year as Bond girl Tatiana Romanova in 'From Russia with Love' — making this her actual audition for spy cinema immortality.
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