ShadeGrenade James Bond fans have complained down the years about the films either straying too far from the source material or being too comedic but it seems to me that Matt Helm fans have had greater cause for complaint. 'The Silencers', starring Dean Martin as agent 'Matt Helm', was one of 1966's biggest hits. The sequel - 'Murderers' Row' - was planned for a Summer 1967 release but after delays on the Bond spoof 'Casino Royale', was rushed out early to be Columbia's big Christmas release.BIG O kidnaps the inventor of a death-ray weapon known as a 'helio beam'. so I.C.E. fakes Matt Helm's death to convince them he is no longer a threat. Posing as a mobster called 'Jim Peters', our hero flies to the French Riviera where danger awaits. BIG O villain Julian Wall ( Karl Malden ) intends using the beam to destroy Washington D.C.As a comedy, 'Murderers' Row' just about makes the grade, but as an action movie it is poor. A car chase in the Riviera, for example, is spoilt not only by the lack of music but by the vehicles photographed through fish-eye lenses as they go round corners. Herbert Baker's script uses little of the Donald Hamilton book, going for cheap laughs at the expense of Dino's image as a boozer. It is a pity as the novel was one of the author's best.Dino's refusal to do location filming resulted in a plethora of stand-ins and bad process shots. Bad S.F.X. too - a man falling off a cliff near the start is obviously a dummy, even the explosions look fake. In the last film, Matt had a gun that fires backwards, here its a gun that has a delayed action. Ironhead ( Tom Reese ), Wall's henchman, intended to be another Oddjob, is wrongly used for slapstick purposes. Karl Malden acts like he's in a different film, Camilla Sparv is woefully under-used, while Ann-Margret is too young to be Matt's love interest ( her disco scenes go on forever ). The pop group 'Dino, Desi & Billy' features in one scene. One of them was Dean Martin's son. "Hi Dad!", he calls out to Matt. I also suspect that some scenes were not filmed. For instance, after leaving Susie's apartment, Matt is suddenly in the clutches of BIG O. How did he get there? On the plus side, Lalo Schrifrin's music is good ( particularly the opening theme ) and Sam Leavitt's lush photography nice. Some jokes work. When Matt is arrested, he complains: "I'm an American citizen!". The chief of police ( Marcel Hillaire ) is not impressed: "We will play the Stars & Stripes when you are in the Electric Chair!". Matt replies: "Then I'd have to stand up!".Henry Levin, the director, also made the vastly superior spy spoof 'Kiss The Girls & Make Them Die' ( 1966 ), which starred Michael Connors, Dorothy Provine and Terry-Thomas.Incidentally, why would a picture of Frank Sinatra be so prominently displayed in a French discotheque?

shepardjessica This second entry of the Matt Helms (Dean Martin) spy-spoof series is no better or worse than the Silencers or The Ambushers, but is a notch above the final entry, The Wrecking Crew. For one thing, Ann-Margret was never more beautiful (face and body) than from that time period. Energy to spare, she's on a constant high of momentum. Also included is the lovely Camilla Sparv (Michael Caine's girlfriend at the time) and she always adds class. Plus, Beverly Adams as the gorgeous Lovie Kravzit. Dino is pretty much working on 1/2 power, but does his job.A 5 out of 10. Best performance = Ann-Margret. These Helm films will seem better now than when they were released in the mid to late 60's. Just fun stuff (like Casino Royale) with tons of babes and decent villains. Check it out!

Ann-MargretGrL There's just one main reason to see this film.....ANN-MARGRET'S FABULOUSLY FANTASTIC dancing, and her flashy swingin 60's costumes! Other then that, It's your typical Matt Helm film. Lots of confusing action..Matt gets the girl.. E.T.C. But it definitely showcases A-M as the ultimate triple threat that she is! LUV A-M, she's the greatest! Def. for A-M and Dean Martin fans

moonspinner55 This is only the second entry in the Matt Helm spy-series and already star Dean Martin looks tired, beleaguered and in need of a good belt of gin. It isn't the groovy Bond-satire you hope it'll be--and that the first film, "The Silencers", nearly was. It has Ann-Margret, and she has energy and pizazz to spare--but no character to play. Hothead Karl Malden plays the villain, but he's not nefarious, just buffoonish. And then there's Dino: aging on-screen faster than a bottle of Thunderbird Wine, Martin can barely keep his eyes open, barely get his lines out, seems overly-tanned and over-fed, and creates no sparks with sexy A-M. The script is leadweight, the direction amateurish, the set designs mediocre. It's not even an interesting attempt. It's a four-asprin headache. *1/2 from ****