Arma Secreta contra Matt Helm

As I watched this movie I couldn't help smiling. The movie is essentially a spoof of James Bond flicks with super-guy fighting well-equipped villain. Seductive women and ridiculous gadgets are abundant. Some are as cute as they come (I am talking about women here). All are fallible (women). All women fall for our super-guy. He seemed to be bemused by this (who wouldn't). While he conquers one woman after another, he also manages to rescue a few tons of gold from the grip of the above mentioned villain (the later is usually considered to be the main plot - what a preposterous notion). One has to love the irreverent soundtrack. They don't make movies like this anymore. Pity. 9/10.

Well, at least compared to the two Matt Helm flicks immediately preceding it. After a couple of pretty big missteps, the series returns to the fine form of the first film, The Silencers. This is in no doubt very much due to the return of that film's director, Phil Karlson of Walking Tall fame.

While the budget was obviously reduced for this one, it may have helped the pacing, which is not bogged down by cumbersome set pieces and elaborate gadgets. From the time Helm first arrives at Contini's château, the movie races breezily along helped by well choreographed (by Bruce Lee!)fight scenes in place of the earlier movies' overblown hovercraft chases, runaway spaceships and the like. Additionally, this is the only one of the 4 Helm movies where the main villain's death doesn't seem anti-climatic. The soundtrack is great and absolutely helps to keep things moving along as well.

This cast is most enjoyable, with Nigel Green stealing the show while stealing the gold. He delivers many of the best lines in the movie, nay the series. Nancy Kwan and Elke Sommer are excellent as a couple of deadly femme fatales and Tina Louise is rescued from Gilligan's island just in time to give Helm his first lead. Sharon Tate showed a proclivity for comedy that was so deft and popular with movie goers that she was supposed to reprise her role in the never to be made The Ravagers. Also notable was the film debut of a little known martial arts expert named Chuck Norris. Dino himself seems to be enjoying the proceedings this time around and is a little more energetic. MacDonald, Helm's boss, is now being played by John Larch and actually takes part in some of the action.

In conclusion, this is one tight, exciting and truly funny (without being silly) little movie, at least by Dean Martin Matt Helm standards. It's too bad this was the last in line, because it could have served as the action comedy template going forward.

Dino was 51 and smooching ridiculously hot actresses half his age when he did The Wrecking Crew, one of the all-time cringeworthy films but still fun. A fifth Helm was planned but Martin bowed out. The entire total-escapist series was written, produced and directed by a team that owed its sensibilities and point of view to the men's magazines of the late 50s and 60s and took very little from Hamilton's novels. It made fantasy logic that his cover was a glamour magazine photographer pursued at first sight by gorgeous models. I saw them all at the movies and dreaded the moments when Dean would croon a tune. The supporting players were always great pros and the actresses were all fantasy women. In this final entry, James Gregory (Matt's boss McDonald) is replaced by John Larch and while Larch was a fine actor, Gregory's rich baritone is missed. Someone must have watched Deadlier Than The Male, a much better film than any of the Helm movies, because Elke Sommer and Nigel Green, the lethal duo from Deadlier, essentially reprise their roles. The opening theme song ("Ah So, Ah So") was embarrassing 50 years ago. Otherwise, Montenegro's music was memorable at times. The production values are top-notch, for the most part. The hand-to-hand fight scenes were poorly choreographed, performed, shot and edited even though the great Bruce Lee was involved. The only sad note about this film is the fate of lovely Sharon Tate who has a substantial role, exploited this year by Tarantino in his uber-fantasy Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.

In this one, Matt Helm's antagonist is Count Contini, a gold smuggler, played by Nigel Green. He is aided by his gang of thugs and two female sidekicks, Linka (Elke Sommer) and Gwen Ya-Rang (Nancy Kwan). As might be expected, both try to seduce Matt, offering fake carrots. Interestingly for a Matt Helm movie, however, Linka is a rare woman in Matt's orbit who is the recipient, rather than initiator, of the first display of interest. Earlier, there is a nice scene in which Lola Medini (Tina Louise), a former associate of Contina, seduces Matt in connection with the intrigue.

Ultimately, it is Freya Carlson (Sharon Tate) who gets her man. She is a Danish tourist agent who leads Matt around in fulfilling his duties. Like Stella Stevens in "The Silencers," she is initially quite clumsy, and is involved in a nice wetlook scene (actually, so is Linka). Freya helps Matt foil the villains.

I'm focusing mostly on the women here, but hey, you can hardly beat this bunch in this male fantasy series. The only Bond movie that can rival this group is "Thunderball."

The movie is fantastic in its execution, not its substance, but it was never intended to be serious.

The movie has all the glamor, and opulence that only American movies seems to be able to deliver. The choice of color, the character, and of course the girls.

Dean Martin's Matt Helm was a product of the swinging '60s, and it's a beautiful movie in its own way. I wish that the modern movies had more of this kind of opulence to its style. Why not live a little like the way these people did ?

It's intentionally silly, but if you take away the silly it still has the glamor like nothing you see these days. The movie is worth seeing for this alone.

Elke Sommer, and Sharon Tate were beautiful, and we don't see beauties like this anymore either.