Paper Tiger

CinemaSerf

David Niven is the epitome of the retired English soldier "Major Bradbury" in this gently comedic thriller. He is hired to tutor the young son of the Japanese Ambassador (Toshirô Mifune) to another, somewhat less democratic nation. When he and the young boy "Koichi" (Ando) are kidnapped and held to ransom by some local freedom fighters, it soon transpires that "Maj. Bradbury" may have been exaggerating his credentials somewhat and Mifune starts to seriously worry for the fate of his child. Luckily the kidnappers are pretty hopeless and our pair manage to escape - though only into the jungle and a chase ensues. It's not a complex story, nor a particularly good one - but David Niven is a class act and with all his engaging and charming bravado, he manages to carry this - alongside a decent performance from the young boy too. I reckon the first five minutes were sponsored by British Airways....