Death in a Red Jaguar (1968)

My first experience with Jerry Cotton, 6 May 2017
- Der Tod im roten Jaguar

This is my first experience with Jerry Cotton and, overall, I enjoyed Death in a Red Jaguar. It's got a lot of faults, but there were enough good, quirky moments to make it worthwhile. In this one, FBI Agent Jerry Cotton (George Nader) is called in to investigate a series of murders. In each case, the person with the greatest motive also has the best alibi. Cotton believes that there must be a murder-for-hire group responsible for the murders. After much chasing and a few more deaths, Cotton decides the best way to stop the group is to make himself a target.

Had I not known going in, I could have told you after about five minutes that Death in a Red Jaguar was at least in part a German production. It just had that 60s-era German feel to it. I can't really describe it, like I said, it's just a feeling. The plot in this one is interesting enough to hold it all together. There are plenty of chases, murders, and suspects to keep things hopping. And the main killer was especially creepy which really helped the first half of the film. I've always enjoyed Nader's work when he pops up in a movie I'm watching. He's usually good, however by 1968, he was getting a bit old to play this kind of role. The supporting cast is nice, though some aren't helped by the dubbing. The voice used for Daniela Surina's Ria Payne character was a bit like listening to a female Foghorn Leghorn. I'm from the South and no on speaks like that. I loved all the rear projection shots designed to make it look like the film was set in California. Awesome stuff. Finally, the ending was very satisfactory. Even though I knew who the mastermind behind the murders was, it was still fun to watch Cotton catch him. Looking forward to checking out more Jerry Cotton.

6/10