An African village is nearly exterminated by a deadly weapon - The Thermal Prism. Napoleon and Ilya must find it first before it can be used again for the conquest of the world.An African village is nearly exterminated by a deadly weapon - The Thermal Prism. Napoleon and Ilya must find it first before it can be used again for the conquest of the world.An African village is nearly exterminated by a deadly weapon - The Thermal Prism. Napoleon and Ilya must find it first before it can be used again for the conquest of the world.
Robert Vaughn
- Napoleon Solo
- (archive footage)
David McCallum
- Illya Kuryakin
- (archive footage)
Carol Lynley
- Annie
- (archive footage)
Bradford Dillman
- Luther Sebastian
- (archive footage)
Lola Albright
- Azalea
- (archive footage)
Leo G. Carroll
- Alexander Waverly
- (archive footage)
John Dehner
- Dr. Parviz Kharmusi
- (archive footage)
John Carradine
- Third-Way Priest
- (archive footage)
Julie London
- Laurie Sebastian
- (archive footage)
H.M. Wynant
- The Aksoy Brothers
- (archive footage)
Roy Jenson
- Carl
- (archive footage)
Arthur Malet
- White Hunter
- (archive footage)
Kathleen Freeman
- Mom
- (archive footage)
Robert Karnes
- Ship's Captain
- (archive footage)
Barbara Moore
- Lisa Rogers
- (archive footage)
Lyzanne La Due
- White-Haired Girl
- (archive footage)
Thordis Brandt
- Miss Zalamar
- (archive footage)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDespite the movie's title, helicopters, all two of them, appear onscreen for less than four minutes.
- GoofsWhen Napoleon Solo is meeting Dr Kharmusi for the first time, Dr Kharmusi is seen lighting the top candle of a large candelabra. However, when he blows out the taper, he also blows out two of the other candles at the same time.
- Alternate versionsWhen originally released theatrically in the UK, the BBFC made cuts to secure a 'U' rating. All cuts were waived in 2003 when the film was granted a 'PG' certificate for home video.
- ConnectionsEdited from The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Prince of Darkness Affair: Part I (1967)
Featured review
One of the best UNCLE movies
UNCLE enlist safe cracker Luther Sebastian to steal a thermal prison from Dr Karmusi in exchange for immunity from all his crimes. However he himself steals the weapon and plans to use it to allow his brothers in the Cult of the Third Way to rule the world. UNCLE agents Solo and Kuryakin pursue Sebastian, closely followed by Annie whose partner was framed by Sebastian for a crime he didn't commit.
After the mess of The Karate Killers this was a refreshing return to the spoof tradition of the UNCLE series. The plot is as ever, very unlikely and farfetched. But it's all done with a great deal of fun and doesn't take itself too seriously. The story is actually quite clever in some places, with a few nice twists to it but more than anything else, it is told with tongue in cheek throughout. This is much better than the Karate Killers which took itself far too seriously and lost all sense of fun.
This has a great sense of fun around it that comes from several places. Firstly both McCallum and Vaughn seem to be enjoying themselves again and bring a lot more energy to the film. Secondly the TV series influence is back - with the theme music back in place throughout. Thirdly the villains are back on top form, previously Hebert Lom was terrible playing it straight. Here Bradford Dillman plays Sebastian really camp and gets plenty of good lines and even his henchmen have some too. For example Sebastian saying "my wife doesn't understand me" or a henchman telling his mom "someday I'll take you away from here", "but I like it here" only to dejectedly say "I know, I know". Or Solo being praised for his good work only to told "you'll have to ride in the back of the truck with the others - I can't show favouritism".
This feeling of fun helps the film immensely and it's really enjoyable to watch. Other nice touches include the Cult's hideout having a service door and the old man who hasn't spoken for 20 years (played by a silent John Carradine!). The rest of the cast are all good. Vaughn and McCallum have equal roles by this stage and enjoy themselves in familiar roles. Dillman is fantastic as Sebastian - following Jack Palance's example of a good UNCLE villain. The women are a pretty non-descript bunch, all pretty blondes etc with no real characters. The best role/s of the film are taken by H.M. Wynant as the 4 circus brothers who help Annie hunt Sebastian down.
One of the best of the UNCLE series - the rule is keep it fun, don't try to be a serious spy movie. Oh - and have a camp bad guy! However why do the vast majority of UNCLE titles have to be meaningless? The film is called the helicopter spies because it opens with Solo and Kuryakin landing a helicopter in a village.
After the mess of The Karate Killers this was a refreshing return to the spoof tradition of the UNCLE series. The plot is as ever, very unlikely and farfetched. But it's all done with a great deal of fun and doesn't take itself too seriously. The story is actually quite clever in some places, with a few nice twists to it but more than anything else, it is told with tongue in cheek throughout. This is much better than the Karate Killers which took itself far too seriously and lost all sense of fun.
This has a great sense of fun around it that comes from several places. Firstly both McCallum and Vaughn seem to be enjoying themselves again and bring a lot more energy to the film. Secondly the TV series influence is back - with the theme music back in place throughout. Thirdly the villains are back on top form, previously Hebert Lom was terrible playing it straight. Here Bradford Dillman plays Sebastian really camp and gets plenty of good lines and even his henchmen have some too. For example Sebastian saying "my wife doesn't understand me" or a henchman telling his mom "someday I'll take you away from here", "but I like it here" only to dejectedly say "I know, I know". Or Solo being praised for his good work only to told "you'll have to ride in the back of the truck with the others - I can't show favouritism".
This feeling of fun helps the film immensely and it's really enjoyable to watch. Other nice touches include the Cult's hideout having a service door and the old man who hasn't spoken for 20 years (played by a silent John Carradine!). The rest of the cast are all good. Vaughn and McCallum have equal roles by this stage and enjoy themselves in familiar roles. Dillman is fantastic as Sebastian - following Jack Palance's example of a good UNCLE villain. The women are a pretty non-descript bunch, all pretty blondes etc with no real characters. The best role/s of the film are taken by H.M. Wynant as the 4 circus brothers who help Annie hunt Sebastian down.
One of the best of the UNCLE series - the rule is keep it fun, don't try to be a serious spy movie. Oh - and have a camp bad guy! However why do the vast majority of UNCLE titles have to be meaningless? The film is called the helicopter spies because it opens with Solo and Kuryakin landing a helicopter in a village.
helpful•72
- bob the moo
- Nov 30, 2001
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Die unverbesserlichen Drei
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 35 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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