gridoon2018 In comparison to the early 1960's James Bond adventures, the success of which it is obviously trying to emulate, "The Silencers" is a bit more racy, a bit more campy (or, in Victor Buono's case, a lot more campy), and, paradoxically, a bit more violent. The production values, however, are closer to the numerous European Bond-influenced spy flicks made during that decade, rather than to the legitimate Bond films themselves. The pacing is sluggish and there are several sequences that would benefit from some serious editing (the one with Helm and Gail in the car after the chase, for example). At least near the end enough stuff blows up, and some neat gadgets are put to work, giving the film some semblance of action. Stella Stevens shows not only her killer curves but also a flair for slapstick comedy, however my favorite woman in the movie is the slinky, exotic Goddess Daliah Lavi - she is also part of the one genuinely surprising twist in the plot. Flawless face, astonishing body, she never got to be an official Bond girl but at least with films such as this and "Casino Royale" (1967) she came close. ** out of 4.

ferbs54 If Harry Palmer was the poor man's James Bond, and Derek Flint was the poor man's Harry Palmer, then where does that leave Dean Martin's Matt Helm? Bottom feeding in the secret agent pond, I suppose. The Helm films began promisingly, entertainingly and shlockily with 1966's "The Silencers," a promise that was soon dissipated in two very poor films and redeemed somewhat, in 1969, in the fourth and last. Dino basically plays himself here, and these films seem something like extended sketches on the old "Dean Martin Show." But Matt Helm IS cool. How cool? Well, he wears a turtleneck and sports jacket to lounge around a Phoenix pool, and his apartment features a circular bed that dumps him into his bubble bath in the morning. He also has a bar in his car so that he can get tippled while he drives. (Hey, wait a minute...that ain't cool, kids!) A la Bond, he also comes equipped with some nifty gadgets in "The Silencers" (a backward-firing pistol and sports jacket buttonbombs), fights a criminal organization (the leeringly named Big O), makes dumb jokes (his put-down of Frank Sinatra IS pretty funny, actually) and woos the babes. Here, he spends time with Nancy Kovack, Cyd Charisse, Israeli actress Dahlia Lavi and the wonderfully klutzy Stella Stevens; a quartet of pulchritude that would amazingly be topped in Helm's final film, "The Wrecking Crew," with its remarkable Tina Louise/Elke Sommer/Nancy Kwan/Sharon Tate foursome. "The Silencers" also features the phoniest-looking laser beam ever and a moderately exciting ending. This movie's kinda fun, actually. Oh...did I mention that Helm's secretary is named Lovey Kravezit?

Poseidon-3 Following the success of "Dr. No" and the subsequent James Bond films, a raft of gadget-laden, sexually suggestive copycats flooded the cinema landscape, some of them serious in tone, most of them light and/or parodying in nature. Here, Martin plays Matt Helm, the character in a popular series of spy novels which were not intended to be amusing, but some of which were adapted into a series of frothy, campy, goofy, tacky films. This first in a collection of four is among the best, though that still doesn't qualify it as a stellar piece of film-making. Super-spy Martin is drawn out of retirement in order to thwart villain Buono, who is bent on world domination. Aiding him to a point is delectable fellow spy Lavi. Standing in his way is Stevens, the girlfriend of Webber, one of Buono's hit men. Stevens, apart from being suspected as an enemy through her association with Webber, is dangerous simply by way of her penchant for calamity and chaos, which seem to dog her at every turn! Traversing the American southwest in his tricked out station wagon (!), Martin swings from clue to clue when he isn't swinging from babe to babe. None of it is ever believable for a moment if it was ever meant to be. That's fine, but the film has an unfortunate piecemeal feel to it and an undercoat of cheapness that no amount of fancy sets or Moss Mabry gowns (which are mostly very striking) can fully overcome. It leans towards the illogical and the senseless and has a sloppy feel to it. Much of this comes from Martin's completely laid back and noncommittal performance, by now heavily colored by his seat-of-the-pants casualness that was popularized on his glitzy TV variety show. Stevens, on the other hand, gives a winning and wacky performance and looks astonishing as a redhead. From her memorable backwards first entrance to her stunning last one (in a flimsy blue chiffon nightgown with hair piled high), she is the primary reason to sit through this movie. Lavi is no slouch, either. Her fashion model looks and breathy, sex-kitten line readings are also a big draw. Not to be left out, legendary dancer Charisse has a late-career highlight as a singer-stripper who figures into the espionage. Her appearance during the credit sequence is not quite as daring as the publicity stills promised, but she's still very arresting. Her second get-up is as vulgar as it is bizarre and her soft-focus close-ups are amusing, but she still gives it her all. Always intriguing Buono is nonetheless pretty lame as a goofy answer to the quasi-Asian villain Joseph Wiseman portrayed in "Dr. No." Best advice is to jettison the silly plot lines and just soak up the preposterous gadgetry, the gorgeous women (which also include Kovack and Adams), the anything goes 60's atmosphere and colors and the free-spirited performance of Stevens. On this level, the film is enjoyable enough to make its viewing worthwhile.

Petri Pelkonen He's super spy Matt Helm.All the girls love him and all the men envy him.And some want to kill him.In the 1960's they made four Matt Helm movies.The Silencers (1966) is the first one of them directed by Phil Karlson.In this movie Matt Helm's job is to prevent WWIII.Not an easy job to do, except for Matt Helm.Matt Helm movies were James Bond parodies.They did the same Austin Powers did some decades later.And this agent could also sing! The actor who portrayed Matt Helm was super cool Dean Martin.The leading lady of this first movie was portrayed by super sexy Stella Stevens (Gail).Daliah Lavi plays Tina.The singing and dancing beauty Cyd Charisse is Sarita.The movie history has pretty much forgotten these movies.I found The Silencers rather entertaining.Matt Helm movies look very 60's.It's probably the nostalgia that raises the value of these movies.And the super cool Dean Martin.