The Silencers introduces us to Dean Martin's character via a ludicrously over-the-top depiction of a swinger's bedroom in 1960s America, complete with an ambulatory bed that dumps the lazing occupants directly into a Jacuzzi. Pretty standard 60's sex-comedy stuff; a slightly more explicit manifestation of a comedic allusion somebody might make in a Doris Day movie. (The later station wagon sporting a couch in the back seat hits a similar note.) "Okay," I thought. "This is basically going to be Austin Powers before Austin Powers: a silly James Bond spoof."
Well, not quite. The Silencers doesn't really follow through on that.
The movie is light-hearted enough throughout. But since it gets caught up in as many cliches as it sends up, it's not really consistent enough to be a spoof--unless the Roger Moore Bond films can accurately be described as such. This strikes about the same ratio of goofiness to sincerity.
Should I go on comparing this film to Bond? It seems only natural, since the franchise was developed as an answer to the Broccoli undertakings. Notable to me were the sexual politics on display. Matt Helm is surprisingly respectful of leading female-bystander-dragged-into-covert-operations Gail, played by Stella Stevens. For a long time, forced into a road trip with Helm to clear her name, she demands he keep his distance. I kept expecting him to force a kiss on her anyway, because that's how the sixties rolled. To my amazement, that never happened. Instead Helm simply kicks back and relaxes in waiting for the inevitable sexual chemistry to drive her into his arms more willingly. For those of us who get queasy when Connery's Bond seduces a woman by forcing himself on her with brutish force, it's refreshing.
Speaking of Stella Stevens, I also found her performance to be one of the highlights of the film .(The other is the dance number in the opening credits with Cyd Charisse.) She handles the comedy pretty well while also delivering as required in the dramatic moments. Probably the standout scene in the film for me is a moment in which, after struggling over a gun, Gail fully believes she is about to be executed by a henchman. She doesn't cower and beg and scream for Matt Helm. Instead she raises herself up with all the courage and dignity she can muster and looks the gunman straight in the eye with a defiant glare just as he prepares to pull the trigger. I found this surprisingly powerful and endearing for such a silly film. (The resolution of this scene is also one of the funnier outcomes.)
There's also a TLR camera that shoots throwing stars out of the lens. As a vintage camera enthusiast I was pretty keen on that.
Will I see the sequels? If I can find them, I might. Mainly because I know Ann-Margret is in one of them.
Well, not quite. The Silencers doesn't really follow through on that.
The movie is light-hearted enough throughout. But since it gets caught up in as many cliches as it sends up, it's not really consistent enough to be a spoof--unless the Roger Moore Bond films can accurately be described as such. This strikes about the same ratio of goofiness to sincerity.
Should I go on comparing this film to Bond? It seems only natural, since the franchise was developed as an answer to the Broccoli undertakings. Notable to me were the sexual politics on display. Matt Helm is surprisingly respectful of leading female-bystander-dragged-into-covert-operations Gail, played by Stella Stevens. For a long time, forced into a road trip with Helm to clear her name, she demands he keep his distance. I kept expecting him to force a kiss on her anyway, because that's how the sixties rolled. To my amazement, that never happened. Instead Helm simply kicks back and relaxes in waiting for the inevitable sexual chemistry to drive her into his arms more willingly. For those of us who get queasy when Connery's Bond seduces a woman by forcing himself on her with brutish force, it's refreshing.
Speaking of Stella Stevens, I also found her performance to be one of the highlights of the film .(The other is the dance number in the opening credits with Cyd Charisse.) She handles the comedy pretty well while also delivering as required in the dramatic moments. Probably the standout scene in the film for me is a moment in which, after struggling over a gun, Gail fully believes she is about to be executed by a henchman. She doesn't cower and beg and scream for Matt Helm. Instead she raises herself up with all the courage and dignity she can muster and looks the gunman straight in the eye with a defiant glare just as he prepares to pull the trigger. I found this surprisingly powerful and endearing for such a silly film. (The resolution of this scene is also one of the funnier outcomes.)
There's also a TLR camera that shoots throwing stars out of the lens. As a vintage camera enthusiast I was pretty keen on that.
Will I see the sequels? If I can find them, I might. Mainly because I know Ann-Margret is in one of them.