Dean Martin has his work cut out for him in his second outing as Matt Helm, with co-star Ann-Margret virtually stealing the film as the wild, mod, frug-crazy daughter of a scientist kidnapped by villain Julian Wall (Karl Malden). A top man in evil group, The Big O, Wall wants the abducted researcher to implement his heliobeam invention – which harnesses energy from the sun – for wicked purposes as the ultimate weapon. Before Helm gets involved, The Big O goes on a global killing spree of secret agent good guys, and Helm fakes his own demise, all the better to go deep undercover. Helm’s boss, Mac (James Gregory) sends him to the French Riviera as the best place to start his search for the missing scientist. In the process, Helm not only runs into Ann-Margret, but a gorgeous villainess (Camilla Sparv) and his real life son, Dean Paul Martin, performing a Boyce & Hart song with his pop group Dino, Desi & Billy in a Mediterranean discotheque.
“Nobody can go-go dance their little heart out quite like Ann-Margret, in knockout costumes by Moss Mabry… Margret goes all out, coming across like a Hanna-Barbera heroine and even proves quite adept as an action girl in the exciting hovercraft chase climax. Director Henry Levin… maintains a zesty, comic book pace” – Andrew Pragasam, The Spinning Image
