The Destructors
The Destructors
| 03 May 1968 (USA)
The Destructors Trailers

Foreign agents are after a substance called "laser rubies" that can power a killer laser beam. Government agents are dispatched to protect the rubies and eliminate the foreign agents.

Reviews
Dotbankey A lot of fun.
Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.
Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
ccc-123 Should you have an appointment for root canal work, a visit scheduled with your proctologist, or even a meeting with the taxman, they might all be good reasons to watch this film. If you have anything else more enjoyable you should be doing, like say breathing, then don't bother.Rarely have I so wished I had something better to do than watch a movie! It does have an almost mesmeric quality, like watching the progress of your colonoscopy at the hospital.If you do watch it, check out Michael Ansara's curiously pale complexion - as if the makeup artist used flour.Richard Egan as always makes a good advertisement for Brylcreem.
Johnboy1221 This film had so many chances to be really entertaining, but fails to deliver. John Ericson is the main attraction. As always, he gives his best, and he can't be faulted for a weak script and poor direction.The DVD (and VHS) copies I've seen are all horribly "edited for television", which makes matters worse. (In one scene, a main character gets gut shot numerous times, but the shots are edited out, leaving the viewer wondering what the heck is going on).If all that weren't enough of a problem, the film was shot in wide screen, and several scenes in the full screen showings are either pan and scan, or people are not seen at all. Uggggh! I would actually buy this film on DVD, however, if it were ever released in widescreen from a decent print.
toxfly One wonders who or what this dreadful movie was aimed at. Poor old Richard Egan had visibly aged and by this point was physically as stiff as his acting. His well stuffed suit walks around spouting lines with the emotion of a speak your weight machine. The impression is that this is more of a pilot for a TV series judging by the direction and music.The finale must be one of worst non-action fights I've ever seen. There is no attempt to cut the action, people stand around staring, holding guns, more staring, waiting for someone to finish one fight then start another, then stare some more.This really should be in the bottom 250 films.
heathblair Agents employed by Red China plot to steal a new American laser weapon powered by rubies. Enter Richard Egan as the counter-espionage agent who stands between the West and commies bent on global domination. Fortunately for the free world, his precious bodily fluids are working just fine. Does he save the day? Whaddya think?This filler film, with its paranoid reds-under-the-bed plot, was probably at least ten years out of date when it was released. It's a strictly comic-book adventure, dashed out to capitalise on The Man From Uncle, Bond, etc. It totally lacks the wit of those productions, however, and takes a more Dragnet-type approach, ie. stiff, no nonsense, and rapidly tiresome. Richard Egan is quite impressive though. Egan, a big, chunky guy and a decent leading man, sports a tan for this movie deep enough to turn George Hamilton green with envy. B-movie king Michael Ansara features as the smoldering baddie (no surprises there), while the rest of the cast give their producer his money's worth.It's childish rubbish of course, but smoothly filmed in an expensive TV film manner. The elaborately symphonic musical score by Paul Dunlap totally out-classes the movie and almost makes you think you're watching a good film. You're not though. You're just listening to the score for one. Dunlap pretty much left the film scoring field after this. A pity. He was (is) good, but all too often seemed to get saddled with B-movies like The Destructors. Fate's fickle finger jabs again.