Good concept, poorly executed.

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

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.

Count Massimo Contini (Nigel Green) is the mastermind behind a billion dollar gold robbery. His plan is to send the world markets into chaos. He may get away with it unless Matt Helm (Dean Martin) can track down the missing gold. But along the way, Helm will meet up the Count's hired muscle, a gorgeous female killer, and a ditsy woman who insists on helping him.I suppose the best way to describe a Matt Helm film would be a light and breezy spoof of the James Bond movies. Nothing is very serious and you're sure that everything will work out in the end. Dean Martin plays Matt Helm about as laid back as could be imagined. Instead of a gun, you're more likely to see him with a drink in one hand, a cigarette in the other, a beautiful woman to ogle, and a quick quip. His fights scenes may leave a lot to be desired, but there's no denying his "cool".The Wrecking Crew is actually one of the better Matt Helm films. The hiding place of the gold is ingenious, the spy gadgets are plentiful, and the women are everywhere. The cast is one of the better assembled for any of these films. Nigel Green and Elke Sommer make a wonderful pair as the distinguished master criminal and the sexy killer (roles very similar to the ones they played in 1966's Deadlier Than the Male). But Sharon Tate really shines as the ditsy Freya Carlson. It's incredibly sad to think that this would be Tate's last role before her brutal murder. She's a joy and a real pleasure to watch.

The final film in the 'Matt Helm' ( Dean Martin ) franchise saw a few interesting changes. The spy fad was all but over, so it was decided to make 'The Wrecking Crew' more of a caper movie akin to 'The Italian Job'. It opens with the hijacking in Denmark of a train carrying one billion dollars in gold bullion. It is panic time on the world's money markets, so I.C.E. sends for its best agent ( guess who ). The only lead is a beautiful gypsy dancer named Lola Medina ( Tina Louise ), ex-girlfriend of Count Massimo Contini, a multi-millionaire dreaming of becoming a multi-billionaire. Lola claims that Contini is behind the heist. Equipped with a do-it-yourself helicopter, a camera that bellows incapacitating gas, and explosive handkerchiefs, Matt flies out to Copenhagen, knowing that MacDonald has broken his cover...After a run of two ( outrageous ) movies scripted by Herbert Baker and directed by Henry Levin, crime novelist William McGivern and director Phil Karlson ( who launched the series five years earlier with 'The Silencers' ) brought Matt down to Earth. Out went 'BIG O', 'Lovey Kravezit', and the sci-fi paraphernalia. Donald Hamilton's book was unfilmable - set in Sweden, it had Matt on a manhunt to find a killer named 'Caselius' - so the movie was replotted. Unfortunately, the new story was not much better, lacking in excitement and wit. It was also riddled with longueurs ( such as the Lola/Linka/Yu-Rang seduction scenes ). The Bruce Lee-supervised karate fights look suspiciously like an attempt to cash in on 'Our Man Flint'. The excellent Nigel Green was evil genius 'Carl Petersen' in 'Deadlier Than The Male' ( 1966 ), which starred Richard Johnson as 'Bulldog Drummond'. But Contini is nowhere near as interesting, and does little apart from issue threats and stare at television screens ( one of his henchmen is a young Chuck Norris ).As for Dino, by this time, he was looking more than a little heavy and tired, despite his sun tan and trendy suits. He moves and speaks so slowly at times you think he's impersonating Frankenstein's monster. When Freya ( Sharon Tate ) accidentally bumps into Matt's car, we get: FREYA: Mr.Helm, our cars are stuck. MATT: What? FREYA: We're stuck. MATT: We're stuck? FREYA: Yes. MATT: Good! FREYA: Is that all you've got to say? And with that, she walks off in a huff. Hard to believe someone got paid for writing such drivel. Nancy Kwan's 'Yu-Rang' should have been excised from the script and Elke Sommer's ( 'Irma Eckman' in 'Deadlier Than The Male' ) 'Linka Karensky' beefed up to become the movie's main femme fatale. Of the women only Sharon Tate makes an impression as accident-prone British agent 'Freya Carlson', while John Larch shines in his few scenes as MacDonald. Nice to see him getting in a punch or two.Hugo Montenegro's sub-Bacharach score grates dreadfully, particularly the la-la-la-la-la cue heard whenever Tate goofs. The opening theme contains the ( politically incorrect ) refrain: 'Ah-so, ah-so, vedy vedy nice!'. Oh boy! On the plus side, the film is beautifully photographed by Sam Leavitt ( who had earlier worked on 'Murderers' Row' ), and has some impressive helicopter action. I liked the scene in 'The House Of Seven Joys' club when Matt's table and seat suddenly spins around, taking him to Contini's lair. It preempts a similar scene in 'Live & Let Die' four years later. Dean was booked for one more romp - 'The Ravagers' - but hung up his camera and gun for good after this. 'Matt Helm' would next be seen on television, in a short-lived series starring Tony Franciosa.Sharon Tate was brutally murdered by the Manson Family soon after completing the film. 'The Wrecking Crew' was both a sad epitaph to her career and the Matt Helm series.

The 4th and final M. Helm film, this is definitely the bottom of the barrel, except for the lovely and funny Sharon Tate near the end of career. There are other babes as well: Elke Sommer (hot for many years), Nancy Kwan lovely as always and Tina Louise who doesn't get to do much. Nigel Green is a noble villain and very creepy. Dino slogs along the best he can under the circumstances and Sharon Tate is just a joy! If she'd ever been given a decent role in a good film, I think she might have surprised a few skeptics about her talent.A 3 out of 10. Best performance = Sharon Tate. All of these Helm flicks are cotton candy at best, but a pleasant reminder of bad fun films of the late 60's.