Wenn Killer auf der Lauer liegen (1967)

Wenn Killer auf der Lauer liegen: Directed by Henry Levin. With Dean Martin, Senta Berger, Janice Rule, James Gregory. Secret agent Matt Helm must battle foreign spies and a rogue nation’s exiled ruler in order to recover a hijacked U.S. government experimental flying saucer.

“Third in a series of Matt Helm films starring Martin, this is often noted as being the worst or next to worst. Martin plays a swinging, hot-to-trot parody of James Bond in a film that takes every double entendre and gadget from that series and cranks them up to the nth degree. This time out, Martin must recover a stolen flying saucer with the aid of the female pilot who was stolen with it, then released. Rule (a pretty uncharacteristic choice for a film like this) plays the astronaut/pilot. Martin first attends a camp where heu0026#39;s refreshed in the ways of the spy (and where a battalion of voluptuous babes called The Slaygirls are being trained.) Then heu0026#39;s off to Mexico to track down the ship which is believed to have been nabbed by (the decidedly UN-Hispanic) Salmi. Various complications ensue including run-ins with bumbling second banana Kasznar and drop-dead eye candy Berger. Itu0026#39;s pretty clear that the film isnu0026#39;t aiming for greatness, or even seriousness, when the two primary weapons are a bra that shoots bullets and a device that makes menu0026#39;s pants fall down! The latter device is pitifully ridiculous in that it melts belt buckles and somehow that leads to menu0026#39;s buttons, hooks and zippers also failing so that an army of henchman are forced to reach for their dangling trousers rather than catch their man.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThereu0026#39;s a groovy title song played over credits that display a huge array of bikini-clad, heavily made up beauties that wind up having little or nothing to do with the plot. All of the kicky, funky music is by Hugo Montenegro and itu0026#39;s one of the filmu0026#39;s better attributes. The film is only really bad if one is expecting serious spy drama or high brow jokes. The villainu0026#39;s chief gadget is a dopey looking satellite dish that shoots sparks out of it (along with a hand-held version.) It serves its greatest purpose pouring drinks for everyone. The one-liners in this film are of the lowest caliber possible and the ultra-macho point of view will likely be off-putting to some viewers. However, for those eager to see the type of kooky, colorful romps that inspired Mike Myers to create u0026quot;Austin Powersu0026quot;, this is required viewing. (Check out how Dinou0026#39;s car trunk pops out an inflatable tent complete with bed, nightstand, lamp and metal chairs!) Martin isnu0026#39;t exactly flexing his acting muscles here, but he was playing into his image at the time of a boozy womanizer. Rule is a better actress than this fluff deserves and she doesnu0026#39;t really fit the boobs and hair-type of role, but she does well anyway. Berger is unbelievably luscious. Wearing what have to be the cinemau0026#39;s largest-ever earrings and sporting an impossibly golden tan, hair piled high and an aquamarine lounging gown, she is one of the most underrated beauties on record. She deserved a bigger career in Hollywood than she wound up with. Thereu0026#39;s a poolside fashion show of ultra-60u0026#39;s Oleg Cassini creations and most of the women wear false eyelashes so heavy they can almost open their eyes. It was a time that can never be repeated, so one should relish films like this as the time capsules they are and rent Oliver Stone movies when they want to be challenged.”