The Silencers (1966)

MASTER PLAN: Operation:Fallout, an international nuclear conspiracy. One of several spy spoofs capitalizing on the James Bond mania of the sixties (epitomized by Thunderball the year before this), this one is similar to the Flint (as in Our Man Flint) duo of films starring James Coburn as another super-spy: Matt Helm, the secret agent, is semi-retired, involved in his private pursuits (photography, in Helm's case) and uninterested in getting back into the spy game. We don't blame him: he lives the ultimate bachelor lifestyle, complete with moving furniture, odd gadgets and female assistance. But, the enemy, a sinister organization aping SPECTRE of the Bond films, forces his hand with assassination attempts. However, whereas Flint is a genius-level detective, Helm seems to get by mostly on Bond-type luck - squared. The 1st attempt on his life is averted only by the sudden appearance of a female agent (Lavi, who also appeared in the Casino Royale spoof in '67). Helm is pretty good at karate and does clobber a few enemy agents along the way.
The most memorable character turns out to be a very clumsy female, played by actress Stevens, who appears at the half-hour mark; she keeps spilling stuff over Helm and is a 'walking disaster' in Helm's own words. Stevens is genuinely funny in her role and sexy, hostile towards Helm during most of the movie, especially after he rips her clothes off (don't ask). Most of the other gags are only mildly amusing and some fall flat. But, this did spawn 3 more Helm films, making this among the most successful of the Bond rip-offs & parodies.
Martin as Helm has that well-known easygoing charm; he's pretty laid back usually and gets slightly annoyed when something intense is happening. Actually, he's mostly annoyed with Stevens' character. One unusual aspect to this type of action spy comedy is the occasional song by Martin on the audio track - his familiar crooning (Helm himself doesn't sing, we just hear Martin's voice over some scenes). In one amusing bit, Sinatra begins to sing on the radio and is quickly switched to another Martin song.
This first one - the 1st Helm film - is probably the best of the 4 Helm features, what with the introductions of Helm, ICE (a version of the CIA, with James Gregory as a somewhat embarrassed version of M - MacDonald - Helm's boss) and some outrageous gadgets (grenades as large buttons on Helm's jacket), but things really slow down after the 1-hour mark, beginning with a protracted sequence of the mismatched couple parked in the desert when it rains. There's a triple car chase which ends with a bang, but is just as well done on most TV shows. At least one surprising plot twist occurs during the fairly exciting shoot 'em up conclusion in the villains' lair, with the demise of a henchman (Webber) a particularly good bit. The actor Buono, usually in sinister roles, was suitably cast as the head villain, though he plays a Chinese (tell me another one), with a silly accent. As with the Flint films, the production values are noticeably below the standard Bonders. In fact, the credits/burlesque striptease hint at a low-rent approach right from the start. Helm would return in Murderers' Row.
BoG's Scores: Hero:6 Villain:6 Femme Fatales:7 Henchmen:6 Fights:6 Stunts/Chases:6 Gadgets:6 Auto:5 Locations:5 Pace:6 overall:6