Film

The Wrecking Crew

Name: The Wrecking Crew
Genre: Action, Comedy
Released: 1968
Cast: Dean Martin, Elke Sommer, Sharon Tate, Tina Louise, Nigel Green

Other titles called The Wrecking Crew: the 2008 film, the 2026 film.

A James Bond parody that mistakes tone for substance. Dean Martin sleepwalks through espionage as Matt Helm, surrounded by capable actors and a kaleidoscopic 1968 visual style that's more fun than the script deserves. It's camp without wit, spectacle without stakes—the kind of film that wants your forgiveness before you've finished watching.

TMDb rating

2.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like light spy spoofs where the gadgets are more fun than the plot, and a lazy lounge-lizard swagger carries the whole thing.

Skip it if the plot is a thin excuse for set pieces, and if you need the stakes of a serious thriller or a tightly wound story, the looseness will grate.

What it asks of you: A brisk, easy ride of about an hour and three-quarters, with little asked beyond a willingness to go along with the wink and let scenes run on the charm.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Barbarella1968

Jane Fonda in a genuinely bonkers space-opera comedy with practical effects, wild production design, and a commitment to its own ridiculousness that makes it soar. It knows exactly what it is.

But The sexual politics are deeply weird, and the plot is basically nonexistent. If you need a story, this isn't it.

Our Man Flint1966

James Coburn as a secret agent in a spy spoof that actually understands comedy—timing, escalation, the joy of a ridiculous premise played with confidence. It's sharper and faster than the competition.

But It's barely a plot, just a series of set pieces. If you want narrative propulsion, you'll be disappointed.

The Italian Job1969

A heist film with style, genuine tension underneath the swinging-sixties veneer, and a cast (Michael Caine, Noël Coward) who treat the material seriously enough to make it sing.

But It's a heist, not a comedy—tone whiplash if you're expecting laughs throughout.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Wrecking Crew

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Modesty Blaise1966

Both are 1960s spy spoofs built on style over substance, but Modesty Blaise actually earns its visual extravagance through character and tone; it understands what it's parodying.

Joseph Losey's comic-strip adaptation starring Monica Vitti as a thief-for-hire, directed with pop-art flair and genuine visual inventiveness. It's camp, yes, but architected with intelligence and surprising emotional depth.

But It's genuinely bizarre—the plot is secondary to the mood and design. Some will find it self-indulgent and slow.

In Like Flint1967

Coburn again, even more confident, with action sequences that hint at actual stunt work and a plot involving a women's organization that wants to take over the world. It's silly but propulsive.

But The gender politics are as confused as The Wrecking Crew's, and it doesn't work as either satire or adventure.

The Spy Who Came In from the Cold1965

What a spy film could be when you're serious: Richard Burton in a Cold War thriller based on le Carré's novel. Gritty, morally complex, genuinely tense.

But It's bleak and slow—the anti-spy-movie. If you're looking for fun, this strips it away deliberately.

The Spy Who Came In from the Cold poster

Casino Royale1967

The spy-film parody that actually got made as a massive-budget chaotic spectacular, with Peter Sellers, David Niven, and an anything-goes attitude. It's a mess, but a fascinating one.

But It's genuinely hard to follow, tonally all over the place, and about twenty minutes too long. Ambitious failure, not reliable fun.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.2015

Guy Ritchie's stylish spy film with Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer, trading in the groovy 1960s aesthetic that The Wrecking Crew fumbles. Smart, kinetic, deeply entertaining.

But It's a reboot of a TV show you've probably never seen, so some references will slide past you.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang2005

Shane Black's Los Angeles crime-comedy with Robert Downey Jr. riffing constantly—witty, hyperactive, genuinely clever about genre and expectation in a way spy spoofs usually aren't.

But The constant narration and quips can exhaust you. Some jokes land harder than others, and not always in a fun way.

RED2010

Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, and a stacked cast in a surprisingly affectionate action-comedy that respects its audience's intelligence while keeping things light and kinetic.

But It's more action than comedy, and the plot is basically a MacGuffin hunt. If you want structure, this isn't it.

Get Smart2008

Both feature a bumbling secret agent surrounded by chaos and capable actresses, but Get Smart finds the actual comedy in the dissonance instead of just pointing at it.

Steve Carell in an adaptation of the TV spy-comedy that actually grasps what made the show work—absurdist humor grounded in genuine affection for the genre it's send-up. Genuinely funny.

But It's uneven, and the slapstick won't work for everyone. It also trades on nostalgia for a show most people haven't seen.