2freensel
I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.
Darin
One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
MartinHafer
With the success of the James Bond films, it isn't surprising that film companies around the world tried to cash in on this success with their own secret agents. There were Italian and German James Bond-type super heroes in the 60s and agent Jerry Cotton (George Nader) was the German Bond-like guy...sort of. They made eight Jerry Cotton films with this same actor...and "The Violin Case Murders" is the first of them.It's obvious at the start this film lacks the budget of a Bond film. After all, it's in black & white even though all four Bond pictures up to that time were in full color. Additionally, the opening song and much of the music sucks...and is nothing like you'd expect for a spy flick. It seems, at times, as if the music was just chosen randomly. Likewise, sometimes New York locales were badly rear projected to make it (kinda) look like they're in the city...a bit sloppy.As for Agent Cotton, he's NOT exactly a Bond-type...at least in this film. Instead of some international organization of evil or communism, Cotton is with the FBI...which is a domestic organization. In this case, his quarry is less global...it's a gang who apparently is going to blow up a school in New York City...but which one and when, Cotton is recruited to find out personally. So he infiltrates the gang and becomes an apparent trusted member. Can he manage to pull this off and save the kids AND himself AND capture the evil thugs?Despite the bad music and cheap production values, this is a pretty exciting film. I like that Cotton is NOT a sexy guy who beds women but is a bit more believable. But he's also a great fighter...sort of like a fighting machine...so he's not completely 'normal'! The film is well enough made and has an interesting plot...enough to make me want to see more of these films.
Horst in Translation ([email protected])
"Schüsse aus dem Geigenkasten" or "Operation Hurricane: Friday Noon" or "The Violin Case Murders" is a co-production between France and West Germany and this one resulted into a German-language film from 1965. It had its 50th anniversary last year and as it is from the 1960s, nobody should be surprised that this is a black-and-white film, but it has sound of course. The director is the highly prolific Fritz Umgelter, who may have had an even bigger career if he hadn't died so early. This is neither one of his earliest or latest works. The writer is George Hurdalek and this one here is actually from the very same year that he contributed on the very famous "The Sound of Music". This one here may not be as famous, but it is about a character that is still somewhat known in Germany, namely Jerry Cotton, an FBI agent who keeps solving crimes.There are several movies about him and some people today still know him perhaps, probably also because of the fairly recent Christian Tramitz film. It stays under 90 minutes and that is perfectly fine as I must say that it was not really a great watch. The crime story with Cotton going undercover into the world of music to solve a case was not entirely bad or boring, but it certainly was nowhere near fulfilling the potential that it may have had. The cast does not include any known names really and even George Nader is not really known to many anymore today despite being a Golden Globe winner. I personally felt there were some cringeworthy moments too like near the end the scene about Cotton's comment that FBI agents are faster in drawing their gun. All in all, it does not get me curious about other Cotton films and I give it a thumbs-down. Not recommended.
dbborroughs
(This is also known as the Violin Case Murders) First of the Jerry Cotton films is okay but it made me wonder how this spawned numerous sequels. Cotton is an FBI agent who always seems to get the job done. He is described by one character as being able to find clues other people miss.(I'll come back to that in a minute). The plot of the film has Cotton brought into a investigate a series of robbery/murders that have been linked by phone calls from the sister of the moll of the gang to the head of the New York chief of the FBI. Cotton springs into action and from there there the plot spirals out in ways that include a plot to blow up a school full of kids (referenced in the title). In all honesty this is a silly film with Cotton's ability to see things no one else can in the evidence pulling things out of thin air, with Cotton simply stumbling upon a good looking girl who happens to be the girl making the calls and later deducing that the owners of a bowling alley are involved in the case. If you can get past the frequent "huh?" factor this is a watchable entertainment, but nothing truly memorable.. Worth a look on a slow night of for those who want to see where the later, better Cotton films, came from.(Also worth a look for the stock and process shots of New York in the early 1960's. They really use a great deal of footage to make it seem like it was shot in New York)
Murph-15
The first film to feature George Nader as Jerry Cotton. Jerry Cotton was Germany's answer to James Bond. In comparison, what the Jerry Cotton films lack in production excel in story. The plot for OPERATION HURRICANE: FRIDAY NOON is very interesting, much more complex than simply a spy going after a super-criminal. The acting may be a tad stiff at times, and this version is dubbed, so the dialogue may be a bit goofy due to translation problems. OPERATION HURRICANE: FRIDAY NOON is the first Jerry Cotton F.B.I. thriller, the best of the series, and, unfortunately, the only one available in America. Peter Thomas wrote the music for all of the "COTTON" films. This music is the best spy music I have ever heard. I understand that the two original vinyl releases on the Polydor label, "Jerry Cotton-F.B.I." and the soundtrack to "OPERATION HURRICANE" are very rare and much sought after. This film fits very well into the current retro trend, especially for the 60's spy film fans out there. Very interesting and cool movie.
