Following a French woman’s (Françoise Dorléac) abduction because she possesses information about a valuable tribal statue, her military leave boyfriend (Jean-Paul Belmondo) begins an energetic pursuit of her, taking him from Paris to Rio de Janeiro, then Brasília, and finally to the Amazon River and its surrounding jungles. Jean Servais portrays a Parisian professor, while Adolfo Celi appears as a wealthy industrialist in Brasília. “That Man from Rio” (1964), a French-Italian production with subtitles, is an enjoyable adventure story that draws inspiration from The Adventures of Tintin comics and aims to playfully mock movies like “North by Northwest” (1959), the initial two James Bond films (1962-63) and “Secret of the Incas” (1954). It’s similar to envisioning "North by Northwest" with the lighthearted feel of an Elvis film, but without the musical numbers. The film's beautiful locations are a major draw, particularly the scenes set in Brasília, Brazil's planned capital city—which was still being built during filming—and its distinctive modernist architecture. The consistently amusing chase scenes also stand out as a strong point. It impacted the style of the 1970s and early 1980s Bond films, which incorporated humorous elements into 007’s travels. It also had an influence on Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981). Despite being entertaining, the characters are largely underdeveloped and lack depth. The Roger Moore-era Bond movies generally offer a more engaging and satisfying experience; however, this film was released earlier and should be acknowledged for its contribution. The movie has a running time of 1 hour and 50 minutes and was filmed on location in the places mentioned. GRADE: B/B-

Source on TMDB