This globe-trotting (mostly set in China and India) comedy-adventure has a freewheeling "anything goes" spirit and some daring stunts, but its slapstick is mostly crude and its script aimless. Director Philippe De Broca and star Jean Paul Belmondo apparently tried to recreate their success of the previous year ("That Man From Rio", which I have not seen - yet), but this film is little more than a collection of stunts. Though if you want to see Belmondo in drag and performing a striptease (!), this is the right place. Ursula Andress, in her prime, gets second billing but is not in the movie much for the first hour or so; then she becomes a co-star. ** out of 4.
... View MoreMostly inane, disjointed production, not worth your time, except if you wish to see what in the mid-60s did inspire George Lucas and Spielberg at the inception of Indiana Jones. Dated, at best. Yes, it is filmed on location; yes, it might be a spoof of the then-budding Bond movies; yes, it is a tad above the weak French action movies of that time (as opposed to the French films noirs of the 50s, which were excellent) but thisis plodding at best, if not outright boring. Despite Andress' charm (and certainly not her "acting"!), and some stage presence by Belmondo,skip this one (unless you are a film or pop culture historian, with minute archival interests). See "The Man from Rio" instead; althoughit, too, is dated it moves much more smoothly and shows what made Belmondo famous (and also offers on-location shooting). Even with its film history relevance, a 3 out of 10 is still generous.
... View MoreBack in the '60s, everyone loved a cool spy flick. James Bond, Derek Flint, Harry Palmer (and even Maxwell Smart) were the famous secret agents, but probably not as many people remember "Les tribulations d'un chinois en Chine". It has French everyman Arthur Lempereur (Jean-Paul Belmondo) getting involved in espionage in Hong Kong. A really fun scene is the whole chase scene. However, in my opinion, the intrigue and stuff gets overshadowed by Ursula Andress's presence. There's one scene in particular that will very likely remind you of her role in "Dr. No".So, there always had to be spy stories involving hot babes. A flick similar to this one is "Die Holle von Macao" (also called "The Corrupt Ones") which starred Elke Sommer. You'll probably like both movies.
... View MoreI won't say much as you need to see the movie to be caught by it's adventure theme that's never stop. Bebel is great, Ursulla, sexy of course, and the plethora of second characters make a kind of in movie family. If you like to travel and enjoy visual humor, this movie is for you.
... View More