Murderers' Row (1966)

Handsome top-secret American agent Matt Helm must recover a laser-weapons inventor who has been kidnapped by arch-villain Julian Wall.

Director:

Henry Levin

Writers:

Herbert Baker (screenplay), Donald Hamilton (novel)

Stars:

Dean Martin, Ann-Margret, Karl Malden

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dean Martin	...	Matt Helm
Ann-Margret	...	Suzie
Karl Malden	...	Julian Wall
Camilla Sparv	...	Coco Duquette
James Gregory	...	MacDonald
Beverly Adams	...	Lovey Kravezit
Richard Eastham	...	Dr. Norman Solaris
Tom Reese	...	Ironhead
Duke Howard	...	Billy Orcutt
Ted Hartley	...	Guard
Marcel Hillaire	...	Police Capt. Deveraux
Corinne Cole	...	Miss January
Robert Terry	...	Dr. Rogas
Dean Paul Martin	...	Self (as Dino Desi & Billy)
Desi Arnaz Jr.	...	Self (as Dino Desi & Billy)

Storyline

The handsome top agent Matt dies a tragic death in his bath tub - the women mourn about the loss. However it's just faked for his latest top-secret mission: He shall find Dr. Solaris, inventor of the Helium laser beam, powerful enough to destroy a whole continent. It seems Dr. Solaris has been kidnapped by a criminal organization. The trace leads to the Cote D'Azur...

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Plot Keywords:

espionage | spy comedy | secret agent | riviera | spy spoof | 

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Taglines:

Matt Helm outdoes Matt Helm in his new all-out adventure!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Matt is put in with two French men for a line up jokes "Oh, LaVerne, Patty & Maxene." These are the names of he Andrews Sisters.

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Goofs

After Matt picks up his car and is "driving" down the road and exploring his glove box, it is obvious that he is in front of a projection screen. The background shows his car going through curves, but Dean Martin never turns his steering wheel.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Julian Wall: Well, gentlemen, the dream has come true. And not just for Republicans. We will control the most powerful bomb in the universe: the Sun.

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Crazy Credits

Coming up next Dean Martin as Matt Helm in The Ambushers

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Connections

Followed by The Wrecking Crew (1968)

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Soundtracks

I'm Not the Marrying Kind
Written by Lalo Schifrin & Howard Greenfield
Performed by Dean Martin

User Reviews

Better than "The Silencers"

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 December 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

Murderers' Row

Filming Locations:

Isle of Wight, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Meadway-Claude Productions Company (I) (II)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1