The Ambushers (1967)

User Rating:

3.9/10   

Director:

Henry Levin

Writers:

Donald Hamilton (book)
Herbert Baker (screenplay)

Release Date:

1 March 1968 (Australia)

Genre:

Comedy | Thriller | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Matt Helm rides again! ...with the Ambushers on his back, and some fun on the side!

Plot:

A government space saucer is hijacked mid-flight by a powerful laser beam under the control of Jose Ortega...

Plot Keywords:

Mexico | Matt Helm | Flying Saucer | Drunkenness | Sexism

Cast

Dean Martin	...	Matt Helm
Senta Berger	...	Francesca Madeiros
Janice Rule	...	Sheila Sommers
James Gregory	...	MacDonald
Albert Salmi	...	Jose Ortega
Kurt Kasznar	...	Quintana
Beverly Adams	...	Lovey Kravezit
David Mauro	...	Nassim
Roy Jenson	...	Karl
John Brascia	...	Rocco
Linda Foster	...	Linda
Tomiko Ishizuka	...	Slaygirl (as Yumiko Ishizuka)
Karin Feddersen	...	Slaygirl (as Karin Fedderson)
Ulla Lindstrom	...	Slaygirl
Marilyn Tindall	...	Slaygirl

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:16 | USA:Not Rated | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Mexico

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

This was Beverly Adams's final appearance as Matt's secretary, Lovey Kravezit.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Throughout the entire film you can see the wires that are used to lift things and people up whenever the "anti-gravity ray" is used. This is especially obvious in the scenes where the saucer is brought down to the jungle and when Matt rescues Sheila from the runaway train wagon.

Quotes:

Matt Helm: What I always wanted, a magic bartender.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Behind the Scenes of 'Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me' (1999) (V)

Soundtrack:

The Ambushers

Mediocre

Two step above Murderer's Row (which I opine is NOT a movie), The Ambushers is not a BAD movie, just mediocre. The opening title, performed by no less than Tommy Boyce And Bobby Hart of Monkees song writing fame, is repleat with titillation and thus belies the content of the film.

The women, unlike The Silencers and The Wrecking Crew are of average appeal. On the other hand, the women, unlike in such crap as the pretentious Flint films, play an active role. Murderer's row aside, the Matt Helm films treat women with far more respect than just about any other spy movie(s). Yes, women are sex objects, but after sex, or an attempt at sex, they become an integral, and often intelligent, part of the action.

The Ambushers is dated and does not wear well. Unlike The Silencers and The Wrecking Crew there are no scenes that are especially clever and even though you don't feel as though many scenes should have been left on the cutting room floor you don't get the impression that the writers stayed up late trying to come up with anything clever.

Dean Martin TRIES to look enthusiastic but the script lacks sharp wit and consistency from scene to scene.

The fight scenes throughout the Helm series are poorly choreographed, but that goes for most spy movies anyway. After all, these guys, including James Bond and Derek Flint, are not REALLY martial artists.

As I state in my review of Murderer's Row, Columbia Pictures does the public a huge favor by packaging garbage (Murderer's Row) with mediocrity (The Ambushers).

If you really must see beautiful, intelligent women coupled with a smart, tight story line, see The Silencers and The Wrecking Crew.