The Wrecking Crew (1969)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Phil Karlson

Writers:

Donald Hamilton (novel)
William P. McGivern (screenplay)

Release Date:

17 January 1969 (Finland)

Genre:

Comedy | Action | Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

Matt Helm gets it from the Wrecking Crew!

Plot:

The count has stolen enough gold to cause a financial crisis in the world markets so I.C.E. sends in ace spy Matt Helm to stop him...

Plot Keywords:

Gold | Matt Helm | Spy | Train | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Dean Martin	...	Matt Helm
Elke Sommer	...	Linka Karensky
Sharon Tate	...	Freya Carlson
Nancy Kwan	...	Yu-Rang
Nigel Green	...	Count Contini
Tina Louise	...	Lola Medina
John Larch	...	'Mac' MacDonald
John Brascia	...	Karl
Weaver Levy	...	Kim
Wilhelm von Homburg	...	Gregor
Bill Saito	...	Ching
Fuji	...	Toki
Pepper Martin	...	Frankie
Ted Jordan	...	Guard (as Ted H. Jordan)

Also Known As:

The House of Seven Joys (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for sensuality, violence and some language.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:16 | UK:PG (cut) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:M (original rating) | USA:PG (re-rating) (1996)

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Columbia production number 8869.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: There are no mountains in Denmark

Quotes:

Lola Medina: I've heard that you do... drink.
Matt Helm: Just call it a hobby.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Once Upon a Body (1969)

Soundtrack:

Red Sails in the Sunset

MATT HELM GETS IT IN DENMARK

This,the fourth and last of the Matt Helm movies has a lot to recommend it and has serious credentials to be one of the most interesting films of the 60s and that is for a variety of reasons.One of these is the appearance of the late Sharon Tate who gives a very appealing comic performance in her final movie.The attractive 60s star Dahlia Lavi makes a good villainess and is a fine foil for Nigel Greene a respected English actor (who was later to die tragically) as the evil Count Contini.He had played a similar role in the earlier British spy thriller DEADLIER THAN THE MALE.Nancy Kwan also appears and so does Chuck Norris in a "blink and you'll miss him"screen debut.The reason Norris was in it at all was because of the movies' fight choreographer,none other than the legendary Bruce Lee himself and he does sterling work giving the many hand to hand combat scenes in THE WRECKING CREW a zest that was rare in action movies of the period that featured martial arts. All of this does not make THE WRECKING CREW a great movie but it is a highly enjoyable one and certainly the best of the Helm movies.Dean Martin seemed to be having fun as he always seemed to in this role and pound for pound this as good a spoof of the 007 movies as anything in the Austin Powers films.This is as Hollywood 60s as it is possible to get.As relevant to its era as "California Dreamin'."I'm proud to have it in my collection.