That Man from Rio

That Man from Rio (L'Homme de Rio, 1964) is a French adventure comedy you can watch online on iFILM, directed by Philippe de Broca and starring Jean-Paul Belmondo. It was shot on location in Paris, Brasília, and Rio de Janeiro, and it moves like it knows you haven't got all day.

French soldier Adrien arrives in Paris with eight days' leave and plans to see his fiancée Agnès. She gets kidnapped within the hour — by Amazonian tribesmen looking for a stolen museum idol connected to a hidden jungle treasure. Adrien follows, which turns out to be a decision involving seaplanes, rope bridges, rooftop chases, and at least one crocodile. Agnès, played by Françoise Dorléac, keeps up without much effort. The treasure hunt itself turns out to be more complicated than anyone admits upfront.

Belmondo did most of his own stunt work, and it shows — there's a physical confidence to the action that no editing can fake. Steven Spielberg cited the film as an influence on Indiana Jones, which tracks: de Broca got the formula right before anyone else. Stream That Man from Rio (1964) full movie online on iFILM.