The Ambushers (1967)

Director:

Henry Levin

Writers:

Donald Hamilton (book)
Herbert Baker (screenplay)

Release Date:

1 March 1968 (Australia)

Genre:

Comedy | Thriller | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Matt Helm rides again! ...with the Ambushers on his back, and some fun on the side!

Plot:

A government space saucer is hijacked mid-flight by a powerful laser beam under the control of Jose Ortega...

Plot Keywords:

Mexico | Matt Helm | Flying Saucer | Spoof | Spy Hero

Cast

Dean Martin	...	Matt Helm
Senta Berger	...	Francesca Madeiros
Janice Rule	...	Sheila Sommers
James Gregory	...	MacDonald
Albert Salmi	...	Jose Ortega
Kurt Kasznar	...	Quintana
Beverly Adams	...	Lovey Kravezit
David Mauro	...	Nassim
Roy Jenson	...	Karl
John Brascia	...	Rocco
Linda Foster	...	Linda
Tomiko Ishizuka	...	Slaygirl (as Yumiko Ishizuka)
Karin Feddersen	...	Slaygirl (as Karin Fedderson)
Ulla Lindstrom	...	Slaygirl
Marilyn Tindall	...	Slaygirl

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:16 | USA:Not Rated | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Mexico

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

This was James Gregory's final appearance as Matt's boss, MacDonald.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Throughout the entire film you can see the wires that are used to lift things and people up whenever the "anti-gravity ray" is used. This is especially obvious in the scenes where the saucer is brought down to the jungle and when Matt rescues Sheila from the runaway train wagon.

Quotes:

Quintana: [struggling to stay afloat in a settling vat] I can't swim!
Matt Helm: Drink yourself to the bottom.

Movie Connections:

References "Candid Camera" (1953)

Soundtrack:

The Ambushers

A Wonderful Spoof

This film is a funny spoof of the James Bond series. Dean Martin is hilarious as the stereotypical spy with a drink in one hand and a sexy girl in the other. All the people who call this series a rip off of James Bond are missing the point. I especially loved Kurt Kaznar, playing the despicable character he would play so well in his most famous role on Land of the Giants as Alexander Fitzhugh. Also, Janice Rule is more than just window dressing. She plays the femme fetale role to the hilt and she shows a great flair for comedy in this film. The Matt Helm series was intended to be a parody of that series and did a great job of it.