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.

I'd always wanted to check out Dean Martin's Matt Helm series of comedy-thrillers spoofing the hugely successful James Bond films; I'd seen a few imitations of the latter already (including James Coburn's two Derek Flint movies) and one good lampoon in CARRY ON SPYING (1964) – but this first of the Helms is generally considered as the most successful of the lot.And great fun it is, too – with Martin gleefully sending up not just the secret agent formula (pardon the pun) but his own image as a singer, boozer and womanizer! Starting off with the amusingly lewd credit sequence (those for the Bond films themselves were known to be quite risqué) which is highlighted by Cyd Charisse dancing and miming the title tune (vocals provided by Vicki Carr), we're then introduced to the comfortable lifestyle of a retired secret agent. Matt Helm's house, in fact, is equipped with any number of appliances such as a multi-purpose bed and shower parts strategically placed to appease the censor(!) and a gorgeous personal secretary with the suggestive name of Lovey Kravezit!! Incidentally, like Bond, he comes armed with a plethora of unlikely gadgets-cum-deadly weapons such as knives darting out of a camera (Helm is an amateur photographer), a jacket fitted with micro-bombs and, best of all, a gun that can shoot in reverse! Helm operates in the service of I.C.E. (Intelligence Counter Espionage), whose nemesis is The Big O; their current leader is an underused Victor Buono as an improbable Asian and his nefarious plan involves a wide-spread infestation of radioactivity which would eventually spark a war between the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R. Helm's superior is played by James Gregory and his luscious aide is Daliah Lavi; they're supposed to pick up a compromising tape from the leading performer (Charisse) at a swank club. However, she's murdered in mid-routine and in full view of the audience (shades of Hitchcock's THE 39 STEPS [1935] perhaps?)…but, before she expires, Charisse confides the tape and a cryptic message to Stella Stevens (who happens to be standing nearest to her). The latter constitutes a delightful presence as an accident-prone red-headed beauty whom Helm even dubs a "disaster area"; having been involved with Robert Webber (who's revealed as an operative of The Big O), Helm suspects that Stevens is too and tries to get her to reveal their intentions…but it eventually transpires that the double agent resides within his own ranks! Martin and Stevens are caught and taken to the enemy underground base but, naturally, manage to escape, outwit Buono, defeat his henchmen, and thwart the operation in the nick of time.The film provides stylish and witty entertainment spiced with in-jokes (including a friendly jibe at Martin's fellow Rat Packer Frank Sinatra) and the occasional verse sung by Martin himself commenting on the action(!); incidentally, Elmer Bernstein's score is quite good. If one had to nitpick, the plot isn't all that interesting or even very suspenseful – though a car chase early on and the final outburst of action is competently handled by director Karlson. Still, the film's mainstay are undoubtedly the two leading performances – one laid-back but, at the same time, shrewdly self-deprecating and the other at once sexy and charmingly maladroit.One final nod to the James Bond extravaganzas is the film's epilogue announcing the next adventure of the secret agent; by the way, I'll be following this myself with another Martin/Helm outing – though it happens to be the very last one in the series, THE WRECKING CREW (1969; mind you, all three sequels are reportedly much inferior!), which I acquired concurrently with THE SILENCERS

Dean Martin personifies Donald Hamilton's super-spy Matt Helm, especially in this era of girl-ogling and martini guzzling. "The Silencers" was the first of four Helm adventures, and, while not a classic, it does offer some laughs and colorfully tatty '60's surroundings. Helm attempts to stop madman Victor Buono from blowing up an atomic test site; sexy klutz Stella Stevens becomes his unofficial sidekick, though she may be a ruse to help the villains. Nutty, tipsy nonsense, certainly no threat to the James Bond franchise but mindless fun nonetheless. Followed by "Murderers' Row" the very same year, "The Ambushers" in 1968 and "The Wrecking Crew" in 1969. ** from ****

My favorite part of this "tongue-in-cheek" espionage flick, is when Dean Martin, convinced that Stella Stevens has the micro-film tape on her, completely rips her dress off of her, leaving the sexy Stevens standing there in her bra, gartered-panties, nylons and high-heels. Great scene !! I'm sure it was Stella Stevens who kept the attention of male viewers throughout this silly movie. Sure , there were other attractive women in the movie. But Stevens was tops !! Dean martin, pretty much being himself as opposed to acting, was entertaining to a degree. However, it was Stella Stevens who stole the show. I didn't even consider being annoyed by her "flighty" character. She's just too damn pretty.