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Tim Frazer jagt den geheimnisvollen Mister X
Case 33: Antwerp
Tim Frazer à la poursuite du mystérieux Monsieur X
Austria / Belgium 1964
produced by Josef Eckert for Melba Film, Sodep-Atelier
directed by Ernst Hofbauer
starring Adrian Hoven, Corny Collins, Paul Löwinger, Mady Rahl, Ady Berber, Sieghardt Rupp, Hector Camerlynck, Marcel Hendrickx, Jean Balthasar, Martin Van Zundert, Paul S'Jongers, Ellen Schwiers, Herbert Fux
story by Anton Van Casteren, screenplay by Ernst Hofbauer, based on characters created by Francis Durbridge, music by Heinz Neubrand
Tim Frazer, German Francis Durbridge-adaptations
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Tim Frazer (Adrian Hoven) arrives at Antwerp with his girlfriend Janine
(Corny Collins) to investigate a dockside killing spree, and he and local
inspector Stoffels (Paul Löwinger) soon come to the conclusion this is
not the work of a madman but has to do with ships coming in from Anatolia,
and thus has to be a side effect of the drug trade. They also come to the
conclusion that their tailor-made suspect, van Druten (Sieghardt Rupp),
whose finger print has been found on one of the murder weapons, can't be
the killer since the spree continues with him in prison - but his
"involvement" leads them to two dockside pubs, one run by
Rosalie (Mady Rahl) and Jeroom (Hector Camerlynck), the other by Farida
(Ellen Schwiers). So Frazer, Stoffels and Lode (Ady Berber), brother of
one of the murder victims, keep them under observation, but Janine thinks
she might as well help her boyfriend, so without his consent she gets a
job at Rosalie and Jeroom's bar, finds incriminating evidence almost
immediately - and is caught red-handed, tied up and tortured to give up
the evidence, which she has wisely handed over to Lode though, who's
presently pursuing Jeroom, who he figured to be the killer, and during the
chase, Jeroom eventually falls off a draw bridge to his death. Later,
Frazer and Stoffels find Rosalie murdered and chase a man fleeing from the
scene, who Frazer eventually shoots in pursuit, and he is revealed to be
Farida in disguise ... Now Case 33: Antwerp is no
masterpiece by any definition of the word, and of course it has been made
to cash in on the success Francis Durbridge adaptations had on German
television at the time (in fact the character Tim Frazer
himself had been subject of two TV miniseries in 1963 and 1964), but that
doesn't mean this is a bad movie by any means: Sure, the plot's
far-fetched and at times suspends disbelief beyond breaking point, but
it's briskly paced, excitingly shot and features some nicely eccentric
characters to see to it that one don't get bored. It's probably best
comparable to an American B picture of the crime/action variety from one
of the bigger studios from the 1940s, a film that doesn't stretch for
greatness, but offers solid entertainment at least.
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