Eye Candy #191 - "The Silencers"

The Silencers:  The first of the spy spoof Matt Helm movies starring Dean Martin, after watching this, I’m of the same opinion I was when I saw “Our Man Flint” for the first time - these Bond spoofs from the 60’s, by and large, haven’t aged well and their comedic oomph makes them look awfully tame by current standards.  In fact, while watching “The Silencers”, I didn’t laugh once.   And that’s with Stella Stevens schticking her way through the whole thing (the women cast in this film are the best part of it; Dean is positively wooden in his delivery).  Matt Helm is brought back from retirement by his old employers I.C.E. to fight Big O (get it? Huh?  HUH?) from unleashing nuclear destruction on the United States.  And he fights them with his wits, his gadgets (including a tricked-out station wagon), and his chop-socky derring-do.  All of which is staged at a snail’s pace.  This film has almost the worst car chase I have ever seen, it’s so poorly staged and paced.  This was a box office hit back in the day.  This film would tank today.  “Austin Powers” mined this territory successfully (spoofily spoofing a spoof).  Woodchuck sez, “Interesting as a curio for Dean Martin aficionados.”