LeonLouisRicci Number 11 at the Box Office in 1966 and Number 2 in Dean Martin's Matt Helm Spy Spoof Series of 4.One's Enjoyment of These Things is Determined by How Much You Like Dino's Boozing and Womanizing. He Pretty Much Plays the Same Characterization Schtick He Made for Himself While Traveling with the Rat Pack.Easy Going, Never Serious, and Always on the Prowl for a Drink or a Dame. The Matt Helm Movies were Nothing Like the Matt Helm Books that were Dark Spy Thrillers. The Movies were Fluff and Barely Qualify as Nothing More than Eye Candy at Best and Disjointed, Jumbled Junk at Worst.They Were Popular Paycheck Producers for Talents Like Ann Margaret and Karl Malden and a Few Talented Filmmakers but the Movies Really Didn't Have Much to Offer Accept as Time Wasters and Ogleathons. Here Ann Margaret's Dances in the Discotech Go On Ad Nauseam and Seem Overly Energetic Even for Ann, Malden's Villain is a Bore that Likes to Talk Into Microphones A Lot, and the Supporting Cast Mostly Stand Around Waiting for Something to Happen.The Action is Stunt Double Heavy and Back Screened Without Much Effort. The Highlight of the Movie is a Gimmick Gun that Fires on a 10 Second Delay, but Even That is Milked Dry Like Every Other Mildly Amusing Trifle.

Uriah43 A new villain by the name of "Julian Wall" (Karl Malden) is planning to destroy Washington D.C. on behalf of the secret criminal organization known as the "Big O". To do this he has captured an American scientist named "Norman Solaris" (Richard Eastham) and is trying to force him to complete work on a special solar weapon called a "super helio beam". At the same time, Julian gives orders to kill the world's top agents and Matt Helm (Dean Martin) is on that list. Fortunately, Matt survives the assassination attempt and uses this event to fake his demise in order to give him an edge in his assignment to rescue Norman Solaris. Since the only lead seems to be an ore deposit near Monte Carlo, that's where he starts his investigation. Now, rather than spoil the story for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this is a fairly decent action film. The nifty gadgets and clever one-liners Matt Helm throws out were really entertaining. Likewise, I thought that Ann-Margret (as "Suzie") was absolutely gorgeous. Additionally, both Camilla Sparv ("Coco Duquette") and Beverly Adams ("Lovey Kravezit") also provided some nice scenery too. Unfortunately, the overall acting wasn't that great and the film seemed a little dull in some places. Along with that, this movie definitely felt a bit dated and even though I am fond of this particular time-period, it started to get old and clichéd after awhile. All things considered I give it an average rating.

masercot You have to suspend belief to watch Dean Martin play the world's best secret agent. The man seems intoxicated much of the time and mentally retarded all of the time. It's pretty much the same experience you might get if you watched Gary Busey play the Pope.Karl Malden adds nothing to the movie, either. I know that he is a good actor; but, for this movie, he's keeping that fact to himself. Is there a bright spot in this movie? Yes. Ann Margaret, a woman we see far too seldom in the movies, plays the daughter of a scientist and, like the daughter of a scientist, she dances a lot; in fact, the five minutes during which the woman dances are the most enjoyable in the entire movie.I don't hold anything against Dean Martin...loved his television show; however, his scattered concentration doesn't play well in a ninety minute movie.Watch this movie only if it will get your name entered in a car raffle...

Brian Washington This is film pretty much fits the formula of the other "Matt Helm" films; lavish locations, fun weapons, beautiful girls and booze. This probably is my second favorite film in the series behind The Ambushers. Dino was pretty much playing himself in the film and it pretty much was an extension of his public image of the freewheeling and boozing womanizer. Ann-Margaret was her usual sexy self as she played her sex kitten image to the hilt. However, the one that really stole the show in this film was Karl Malden. He really stole the show playing Mr. Wall, a villain so campy that it is in direct contrast to his usually serious demeanor. I also liked the fact that it made references to Dino's personal life, especially the inclusion of the Sinatra reference at the discotheque. Dino, Desi and Billy were okay, but they are no Beatles. All in all I would have to say that this is a pretty good entry in the series.