The Helicopter Spies (1968)

When an African village is decimated by a deadly weapon known as the thermal prism, two secret agents (Robert Vaughn, David McCallum) attempt to track it down before it can be used in a plot for world conquest. To that end, they seek the assistance of a notorious safecracker (Bradford Dillman). Directed by Boris Sagal (THE OMEGA MAN). Of all the movies derived from THE MAN FROM UNCLE television series, this is the closest to the feel of a "real" movie. The script is decent, the set pieces more elaborate, its transition to the big screen is smoother and the film benefits from its three appealing leading ladies (Carol Lynley, Lola Albright, Julie London). The changes from its TV airing are minimal, the only notable change is Julie London is shown in bed with various shirtless bed partners while the TV version had her in bed alone. The film seems to have been shot with a film release in mind as there is a lot of empty head room in the standard version and it looks tighter in its wide screen incarnation. With John Dehner (in a rare bad performance), John Carradine, Leo G. Carroll, Kathleen Freeman and H.M. Wynant.