From my favorite movies..

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Bond second hand imitation with ugly bad actors, without any charm and a confusing plot. The director, Maurice Labro made one year before, a better Bond imitation, "Coplan prend des risques", with the beautiful Virna Lisi as a Coplan(the French equivalent of Bond) girl. Ray Danton, former Sandokan, was good at remaining Sandokan and not trying to mimic Sean Connery. The charm of Wolfgang Preiss and Charles Regnier (both formerly in Mabuse) and Horst Frank, does not save the cheap script. Pascale Petit is too petite(small, in French) for sex appeal. And Roger Hanin, I never liked him in anything.

A Russian spy ring operating in Spain is proving very successful in tracking the American fleet. Agent Jeff Larson (Ray Danton) is sent in to put a stop to the Russian efforts. Larson quickly discovers, however, that the Russians seem to be on to his every move. Larson is convinced there's a mole operating in Spain.At the very worst, Code Name: Jaguar is a harmless bit of fun. Nothing deep or meaningful, just an enjoyable enough way to spend 90 minutes. The plot is straightforward an not overly complicated, but still held my attention throughout. Nice fight scenes, interesting Spanish locations, good pacing, and a few tense moments make Code Name: Jaguar an above average Eurospy effort. My biggest complaint was how easy it was to spot the mole. A neon sign over his head flashing "Mole" is the only way it would have been any easier.Ray Danton may be my favorite actor to play the lead in one of the these Eurospy films. Looks, athleticism, attitude - he's got it all. The rest of the cast is solid. I especially enjoyed the scenes shared by Pascale Petit and Helga Sommerfield. Their bickering over Larson's attention is a hoot. Frank Horst is one other actor I'll single out. Frank is one of the best baddies you'll find. He just had the right "look".A rock solid 6/10 from me.

"Code Name: Jaguar" is a lot like its lead: it gets the job done, but doesn't stand out in the crowd. Ray Danton is athletic enough to play a superspy, but he doesn't have the flair of some of his competitors in the field. Roger Hanin is much better here as a sidekick to Jaguar than as agent Tiger in his two Chabrol-directed spy flicks. Pascale Petit (Code Name: Kitten!) and Helga Sommerfeld are gorgeous; their (verbal) antagonism for Jaguar's affections is very funny; Petit's character seems to be trained in judo, but she barely gets to use it - a damn shame! None of the other characters stand out particularly, and the same goes for the action sequences, which are, however, adequate. And that's probably the right word for this entire film: adequate. ** out of 4.

This is the most serious of the three contributions Ray Danton made to the sub-genre of European spy movies, the other two being Secret Agent Super Dragon (66) and Lucky the Inscrutable (67). While still being light-hearted in nature, this film at least acknowledges the deaths of human beings in the line of duty. Danton is Jeff Larson, who, his boss says can be trusted `with anything except, of course, my own daughter.'If you're in the mood for a fast moving, enjoyable adventure with a good cast, check this out. You won't be disappointed in these Bondian antics. Larson is. uhm, well as he would put it, `Don't strain yourself, baby. No one's come up with the right word yet!'