User reviews

When this movie was shot in 1966 , the second unit took the different scenes located in France between Cannes, Villefranche sur mer and Monte Carlo. I was then a young student in economics at the Nice University and my godfather was one of the top executives of Columbia pictures for Europe. I was at the time very interested in movies and wished to find a job in this sector so I asked Max (Maxwell Setton see his profile in IMDb) to get me an internship for the summer. That's how I was hired in August 1966 to work during the shooting of the movie besides Claude Ganz who was in charge being an executive from the French subsidiary. These have been some 3 or 4 four weeks of great fun I must say. During the shooting some problems or funny situations occurred which will perhaps amuse the reader.

The scene of the hovercraft was shot in Juan les Pins; of course there was no hovercraft and they only shot the scenery around it superimposing it later in the studios. But if my memory does not fail me, with some guys of the unit we went that evening in one of the night clubs of the town, le Vieux Colombier, and had the chance to see for free the famous singer Jacques Brel. Matt Helm passes before it at minute 26:27 of the movie with his car.

The chase between the Mercedes and Matt Helm was shot on the small and steep and sinuous road which goes from Beausoleil on the coast after Monte Carlo and winds up to Eze Village where there is an ancient Roman archaeological site called La Turbie. During the shooting the stunt driver who drove the Mercedes lost control of the car while passing over gravel and smashed into the entrance of a villa! This was a big problem for two reasons, one because the car if I remember well belonged to some citizen of Nice and was brand new, two, because we had a strict schedule and to repair it was posing a problem; the unit succeeded to have the spare parts send by Mercedes by plane direct to Nice. 3 years before I was on the same road going down to reach the lower main road; I had just got my driving license. While beginning to brake before reaching one of the steep turns, I realized horrified that I had no more fluid in the breaks and the car was accelerating dangerously; fortunately by pumping madly on the pedal I succeeded to regain the pressure and when we reached Nice had the circuits checked!

A funny thing happened to me the day of the shooting on the private beach of the Carlton Hotel in Cannes. I was supposed to go to the bank to collect in cash the payroll for the extras and at the same time to bring with me 5 very beautiful girls who appear on the scene on the beach. This scene is shown to Matt in the car when his mission is explained to him at the beginning of the movie.

I was 25 at the time, had a very common car which could take only 4 passengers plus the driver. To carry 6 persons including me was breaking the law. When we were near the Cannes Croisette, what I feared happened and I was arrested by a cop! After several minutes of explanations and support by my lovely companions, the cop with a big smile and winking at me made me promise not to do it again and let us go!

Now there is one last thing that happened at the Nice Cote d'Azur Airport. We were short of extras so it was decided that all those of the unit available would act as people of the crowd waiting for passengers of the Panam flight (minute 19:22).If you look carefully at 19'47"you see Matt Helm arriving from the plane before taking his car; in the foreground before the shot changes to the close up of Matt opening the door of the car, when he crosses the double white line on the tarmac, the second guy from the right besides an auburn haired women, is me! I wear a black jacket.

Of course during the shooting in south of France none of the main actors were there, they had all stand-in. From afar the guy standing in for Dean Martin could be easily mistaken for him!

The scenes shot in the night club were made at the Club de Valbonne in a village which is above Juan Les Pins, not far from Vallauris which is famous for its pottery but also for being the place where Napoleon arrived in France when he returned from the Elbe Island on March 1st 1815. Valbonne is not far today from the important technology park of Sofia Antipolis which gathers some 1400 companies in the fields of computing, electronics, pharmacology and biotechnology. There is also a University, one of which Institute is the direct follow up of the Management Institute I'd been a student in 1967-68. Today it seems that the night club does not exist anymore or its name has changed. Dean Martin's son was one of the band musicians in the scenes shot there.

At the same time two other important movies were shot in the region, Richard Fleischer's Fantastic voyage for which some special effects were done in the Studio de la Victorine of Nice (those studios still exist), and John Frankenheimer's Grand Prix starring the French actor and singer Yves Montand.

I hope these souvenirs may interest some of the viewers here. Claude-Paris-France.

MASTER PLAN: Operation:Scorch - use a new heat ray on Washington DC. After "The Silencers," there was no where to go but with more fun in the sun with Matt Helm - poking fun, that is, at the James Bond spy genre. Dino Martin is as lackadaisical as ever as Helm, the part-time super agent, barely awake in some scenes and ready with the cute quips in, well, every line of dialog. To illustrate the difference between Helm & Bond: Bond, as an example, is allowed one minor joke during his usual mission briefing with M. Now, Helm jokes with his boss, MacDonald (James Gregory, reprising his role) during the entire session, even as MacDonald tells him that Helm may have to commit suicide during the mission. 'I ain't going' Helm quips. The villains are again the evil organization Big-O(oh), who target all the major secret agents as the film starts, including Helm. But, this is one of those false deaths for the hero, just as was done in a couple of the Bonders (and they don't explain how Helm survives). The action takes Helm to Monte Carlo, where a primarily young crowd do a lot of dancing and swinging. Helm searches for a scientist who is providing Big-O (led by Karl Malden) with the final formulas for a super heat ray.

The action slows down at the mid-point, especially with the seemingly endless scenes of young folks shaking their bodies to sixties tunes. The filmmakers manage to work Sinatra in again in a sort-of cameo. The absurdity and sight gags are at the usual level: all of Helm's girlfriends attend his funeral dressed exactly the same. The main henchman walks around in public with this big metal plate covering the top of his head and no one notices. Helm drinks while driving and on the job, joking with the liquor bottles. Ann-Margret plays the daughter of the missing scientist and she's always great, no matter what she's doing, but she even gets quite involved in some strenuous action towards the end. Sparv is fine as the femme fatale, with her slightly exotic good looks, though she inexplicably seems to change sides near the end (Helm never even had a chance to seduce her). Malden as the head villain does not do as well, speaking with a dopey accent which fades in and out. He is the subject of an effective on-going gag with a gun that delays firing for a few seconds. The climactic action in the villains' lair is not bad, with some actual suspense and humor mixed in, though the very conclusion on the hovercrafts, on the water, seems like an afterthought. The epilogue is just too silly. Helm would return in "The Ambushers." Hero:6 Villain:5 Femme Fatales:7 Henchmen:6 Fights:6 Stunts/Chases:6 Gadgets:5 Auto:4 Locations:7 Pace:6 overall:6-

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!

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.

Murderers' Row, the second of the Matt Helm films that starred Dean Martin has the distinction of being the one that actually gave old Dino a hit record. Martin never sang directly on the screen, but his voice was heard on the soundtrack during soliloquy sequences and in background music. I'm Not The Marrying Kind was the only written for a Matt Helm feature that he's heard singing over the action, especially during the final scene.

Fans of the books that James Bond and Matt Helm were taken from have always said that Hollywood ruined the character. It's probably more true for Matt Helm because Dino doesn't play it for anything other than laughs. James Bond would never talk about sexual escapades, but with Dino as Matt Helm, you know this is all locker room fodder.

Dr. Richard Eastham has invented a solar ray which evil master criminal Karl Malden wants to subvert for his own use. He's planning for a death ray to wipe out Washington, DC. Both Martin and Eastham's daughter Ann-Margret are searching for Eastham, reputed to be with Malden on his private island off the Riviera where with mistress Carmilla Sparv, Malden's planning all kinds of dastardly deeds.

Dino who also produced the Helm series, gave a guest shot to Dino, Desi, and Billy who were a bubblegum band sensation around that time.

Malden looks like he's having a good old blast overacting outrageously as the master criminal. Dino as he is in all the Matt Helm is just Dean Martin as a secret agent. Just giving the public what they wanted at the time which was probably the height of his career.

But whatever you do, don't look at the title Murderers' Row and think it's about the 1927 New York Yankees. The sports are indoors in this film.

MURDERER'S ROW is the second Matt Helm movie and just as sloppy and ill-conceived as THE SILENCERS. It's also just about as much fun. Dean Martin, clearly not sticking to any script, has a few funny one-liners and Ann-Margret is Ann-Margret...as a swinging sixties sex kitten, she's second to none. Karl Malden collects a paycheck as the villain and the stunning Camilla Sparv plays his moll. There are a few amusing scenes such as Dean in a line-up with two French peasants and the women's outfits are very Rudi Gernreich without actually being designed by Gernreich. The film, directed by Henry Levin, could just as easily have been named "LONG SHOTS and STUNT MEN" when you consider how few close-ups Martin has during the action sequences.

Having managed to acquire this one soon after THE SILENCERS (1966) and THE WRECKING CREW (1969), I can say that, while a definite comedown from those two Matt Helm adventures directed by Phil Karlson, it’s fairly enjoyable in itself and far from the “uncontrolled disaster area” the late eminent critic Leslie Halliwell took the sequels to be (though I haven’t been able to get my hands yet on THE AMBUSHERS [1967], considered the worst in the series).

Things start off nicely enough with the elimination of all the top I.C.E. agents: Helm’s photo has him taken from the back – thus making his undercover activity later within the enemy ranks seem more plausible – but, amusingly, amply displaying his fondness for booze and broads. The villain this time around is played by Karl Malden, while Helm’s women include Ann-Margret (as the daughter of an inventor of a deadly ray being held captive by Malden) and the latter’s assistant Camilla Sparv; the girls both look good but aren’t given a lot to do – besides, Ann-Margret relies too much on the energetic dancing style she had displayed in the Elvis Presley vehicle VIVA LAS VEGAS (1964)…though this does result in a funny scene inside a nightclub where Martin has a hard time trying to ape (and keep up with) her irrepressible moves! Incidentally, despite the set-up at the end of THE SILENCERS with respect to the upcoming contribution of Beverly Adams’ Lovey Kravezit, it’s still too brief (to say nothing of secondary) here!

The film also features an imposing henchman fitted with an iron plate over his bald head – appropriately dubbed “Metalhead” – who may or may not have inspired the “Jaws” character from a couple of much-later James Bond adventures; the hovercraft chase (starting at sea, continuing on dry land, and ending in a crowded street) also anticipates the one from the 007 flick MOONRAKER (1979). As for preposterous gadgets, here we get a gun programmed to delay shooting for a few seconds – so that, if it were to fall into enemy hands, the holder will invariably point the gun at himself (believing it to be empty) with fatal consequences! Martin, of course, gets to sing as well – and there’s another jibe at Frank Sinatra; however, a rather blatant goof went unnoticed by the film-makers: Martin and Ann-Margret flee a scene in the latter’s car (with the top uncovered) but, somewhere down the line, the vehicle turns into that usually driven by Martin (complete with specially-fitted equipment to thwart the pursuers)! Once again, then, the final scene paves the way for the next entry in the series.

The Matt Helm series worth to see for all girls who enchating an adorning the scenes, Dean Martin always plays an unfashionable old guy that believes that all girls falling in love for him desperately on first look, drunk bad washed face fills to fine model of an outdated actor, Karl Malden made an average villain without bright, this picture is a carbon copy of 007's movies even the bad guy is a fac simile them, nevertheless all gourgeous girls overcame all this low profile series, as bad it's became funny and has some good moments, another quality is not allowed the leading character sing along the picture, if had will be a total joke!!!

Resume:

First watch: 1993 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 6

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.

What a great movie! It starts with a wonderful lively theme song playing over the credits. You have Dean Martin back as Matt Helm and he is even beter this time out. Ann-Margret looks absolutely stunning in this film. I've never seen her look more beautiful. She also has great comedic timing and she has great chemistry with Dino. Her father is played by a favorite of mine, Richard Eastham(That Darn Cat/Tombstone Territory). Karl Malden was never better as the main baddie. Camilla Sparv is an attractive accomplice to Malden. Tom Reese plays Ironhead and when you see him, You'll know why he is called that. He is a very memorable baddie. Reminds me of a Bond henchman. James Gregory and Beverly Adams return as aids for Matt Helm. The outfits for Ann-Margret are just amazing. She is one beautiful woman. I think this is her finest look in any film I've seen. She looks amazing in The Swinger as well. Just a solid, fun film. Look for a funny cameo by Dino's son Dean Paul Martin. He was part of the singing group Dino, Desi and Billy at the time. And the music for this film is great. Highly Recommended!

Leonard Maltin lists "Murderer's Row" as a BOMB, but personally I liked it more than the first Matt Helm outing, "The Silencers". Don't get me wrong, it's not a great movie, the pacing could have been snappier, the special effects could have been better, etc., but it surpasses the original in most categories: for one thing, it is funnier - it actually made me laugh out loud once or twice; for another thing, the French Riviera provides far more attractive locations than Phoenix, Arizona; for yet another, this film, unlike the first, actually has a proper, Oddjob-like henchman; and perhaps most importantly of all, Karl Malden is an immeasurably better villain than Victor Buono. Buono was barely in the film, and was almost 100% camp. Malden has a much bigger role, and some surprisingly serious, even cruel moments. Of course you could argue that "The Silencers" had the superior set of girls, and it's true that Camilla Sparv doesn't have the exotic looks of Daliah Lavi, or an equally active role. She does have great abs, though. Ann-Margret gives an energetic performance and proves to be a most helpful assistant to Matt Helm (though their 20+ years of age difference does make them kind of awkward as a romantic couple). She also has great abs. Overall an enjoyable film, about on the level of a lesser James Bond adventure. **1/2 out of 4.

"Murderer's Row" (19669), like all four of Dino's Matt Helmers, is so bad it's good.

It always appeared as though Dino never read the scripts beforehand, never cared about the plots...just plain never cared. I guess that was part of his and the film's charm. But it must have driven his directors up the wall, including "Murderer's Row's" Henry Levin.

The sets are cheesy as hell as is the music by Lalo Schiffrin. But veteran costumer Moss Mabry's creations (especially for the gals) are terrific. Very hip, very 1969 - yet still very cool today.

I am not really an Ann-Margaret fan, but she's really good here. And glamorous Swedish actress Camilla Sparv is stunning! Bad guy Karl Malden is appropriately sinister, slightly amiable and yes, bad. And his right-hand man, Tom Reese (Sgt. Velie on one of the great TV series ever, "Ellery Queen") has a cool chrome steel plate atop his head - nifty gimmick.

Dino's four Matt Helm flicks, made in between taping his TV show and partying between 1966-69 were all the Andre Champagne of spy flicks compared with Bond as the Dom Perignon.

Why is it that I will ALWAYS watch them whenever they're on TV? I mean I'm drawn like a fly to you-know-what. I can't resist them. I guess it's because they're a guilty pleasure. Cheesy but still a lot of really stupid fun.

Matt spews of his usual lighthearted, spoof lines, surrounded by his coterie of lovely women, but this one is less interesting than others in the series, altho Karl Malden does OK as villain Julian Wall. He is trying to dominate Dr. Solaris, the secret weapon (laser) scientist, who is the father of Suzie, played by leading lady Anne Margret. In fact, she is the highlight of the movie, for aside from being gorgeous, she does some fabulous dancing. On the other hand, Matt's fight scenes, particularly with Wall's henchman Ironhead, leave something to be desired. Matt and Coco (Julian's significant other) have mild flirtations, but aside from Suzie, there is no other lady authentically part of the plot with whom Matt has the least sort of romantic interlude. Overall, a little more zip was needed, plot sometime dragged a bit. Still, the usual good chase scenes, colorful scenery and clothing, elegant settings, etc. -- fun to watch.

The evil Big O has perfected a laser weapon and intends to unleash it on Washington in ten days. All the top ICE operatives in the world are being eliminated. Matt Helm (Dean Martin) escapes an attempt by a beautiful assassin. He pretends to be dead while he is assigned a secret mission to find Dr. Solaris, the inventor of the superheliobeam. His only lead is a material called X-4 and Solaris' daughter Suzie (Ann-Margret).

It's the second in the Matt Helm franchise. It's got the suave of Martin and sexy bounce of Ann-Margret. I am convinced that it's not spoof enough to be funny and it's not exciting enough to be thrilling. This middle ground is cute but it doesn't rise to the top. This is a milder form of Austin Powers or James Bond and can't compare to either's strong points.

Enjoy this as the others Matt, Flint This was good right up to the car chase scene with Matt and Ann's character start out in a Triumph and magically turns into a 61 T-Bird. Come on. But still don't miss this

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. * from ****

Some people just don't get the Matt Helm movies. They are enjoyable over the top spoofs of the spy genre and would have been as effective if the actors were replaced with Gerry Anderson puppets. Nobody was out for Oscar recognition here, just 100 minutes of enjoyably daft entertainment. Murderers Row seems to be about 50% second unit shooting (with doubles) but is still more enjoyable then any recent Bond film. No gritty realism or stupid back stories here. It could have been improved if the score had been better, too many scenes, especially the car chase, are under scored and the movie does sag a bit in the middle, but overall it is undemanding entertainment if you are in the right mood.

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...

2nd outing for Dean Martin as secret agent Matt Helm, this time joining up with Ann Margret to stop evil Karl Malden destroying the world or whatever.

Harmless fun with smooth Dean, drink jokes, daft gadgets and lots of girls who all look like models.

I thing this is a great spy movie providing some very interesting insights how American agents operate. In particular Russian spies and Chinese intelligence officers can learn from this film, I think, to get some insight how American agents operate. Also some interesting lessons for American agents in this spy film, like: "That American agents can be brainwashed in a second, without even knowing it, by foreign spies". So to uphold American ideals - such as Cutthroat Capitalism and the exploitation of the working class - American agents have to be very careful not to be brainwashed by foreign spies and NGO activists. This picture also provides some very good insights into the mind-set and culture of American women in the 1960's. In particular I liked the women's hair fashion during that time. It's amazing what you can do with a thick batch of blonde hair :)

This was the 11th highest grossing film of 1966. Was there no 12th film released that year?

This film is surprisingly bad. And I like Dean Martin a lot. I loved the Silencers.

This is a very slow flick with little skin.