the hoary old relic of the sixty spy spoof boom and the ambusher be an extremely poor film drag low by what may be the single laziest performance ever give by a major hollywood star . everything have be lay out for dean martin in this film it be write specifically for him and construct for his screen persona to allow him to capitalise on his strength . all he have to do be deliver the one liner and punch the bad guy and and kiss the girl . unbelievably and he can not seem to work up much enthusiasm for any of these task . his delivery of the gag be appal he so lay back he suck them dry and drain them of what wit they have and and throw them away . it may not be comedy gold and but a good comic make even bad joke tolerable . martin isn not even try and but bad and he seem to be wink at the camera and invite the audience to collude in his sloppiness . his very presence seem to be mean to be enough . it may be the ugly display of star ego before sean connery get his hand on the league of extraordinary gentleman . his female co star be much well . janice rule really seem to be try to find something in her character and but the script doesn not really know what she play and so it hardly surprising that she doesn not either . she go from crazy woman to able spy to helpless damsel over the course of the film and and she isn not help by ugly hair and costume . the real star performance in this film be senta berger . she truly funny and sexy in exactly the way the script need for the film to work . unfortunately and she maybe too good everything else seem dead without her ( in martin case and you may occasionally suspect that he actually expire on screen ) . the film maker prove themselves incompetent when her bad girl character be kill off towards the end . it isn not just the mistake of dispatch their most talented performer and but the casual way she be strangle and throw off a platform by a none too interesting minor villain . it isn not even clear that she be dead and until she simply fail to reappear . this be terribly off hand treatment of the character and actress who come close to make the film work . kill off such a fun character in such a light hearted comedy feel like a total mistake anyway and a though jessica rabbit have be bump off during the final reel of who frame roger rabbit . ( and a she just help the heroine escape from a lecherous villain and it doesn not even make hollywood moral sense ) . on the whole and this be a profoundly bad film i have no idea if the other matt helm film be any good . the casual sexism and however and be a worthwhile reminder that by sixty standard and the bond film actually border on the progressive . those much parody big band bond theme sound a lot well and too and when compare to the irritate sub surf pop theme that open the film . couldn not dean martin have record something himself and or would that have be too much effort .