YMMV / The Wrecking Crew

• Contested Sequel: Critical response was mixed. Some called it the worst film in the Matt Helm series with a flimsy plot just to service Matt Helm's encounters with glamorous women. Others liked it for the reduced focus on gadgets, more simplicity and of course Sharon Tate as Freya Carlson. Some even felt it was the best in the series.
• Ensemble Dark Horse:
  • Freya Carlson is quite beloved, due to her endearing Cute Clumsy Girl nature and her eventual Took a Level in Badass in dealing with Yu-Rang.
  • Wen Yu-Rang herself, being a cool and deadly assassin, has emerged as this movie's most popular villain. Being played by Nancy Kwan, Suzie Wong herself, also helps.
• Harsher in Hindsight: One might suck the air through the teeth when Matt finds Linka dead, turns to Freya and says "That could have been you," sounding almost like he wishes that were the case. She responds "Never. Never, never, never, never, never."
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • Yu-Rang says "Shall we come to the point?" as she draws a knife to kill Matt. Millennials watching the movie might be forgiven for thinking of ProZD.
  • While seducing Matt, Linka tells him "We have all the time in the world" before they go into full make-out mode. That line would become the Arc Words and theme song title of On Her Majesty's Secret Service, released the very next year.
• Just Here for Godzilla:
  • Many check out the film to see Sharon Tate's performance, considered to be the best of her limited filmography. This becomes quite literal in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, where Sharon herself is depicted going to see the film and only watching her scenes.
  • A substantial amount of Nancy Kwan fans watch just for her as well; this marked her last high profile Hollywood film before she returned to Hong Kong in the 70s.
• Retroactive Recognition: Chuck Norris makes his film debut in a background role, during the "House of 7 Joys" sequence.
• Sequel Displacement: The exposure it got through Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and the association with Sharon Tate have ensured that the final film in the Matt Helm series is the best-known.
• She Really Can Act: Considering she was best associated with the likes of Valley of the Dolls and Don't Make Waves, Sharon Tate shines in this role; showing off some nice comic timing and plenty of charisma beyond being a Ms. Fanservice (she had expressed a desire to do more comedy in the future).
• Signature Scene: The Designated Girl Fight between Freya and Yu-Rang seems to be the most remembered part of the film. Not least because Sharon Tate is portrayed watching it in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
• Values Dissonance:
  • Most people nowadays cringe at the heavily Orientalist lyrics of "House of 7 Joys" ("Ah-so, ah-so, velly velly nice"), and Yu-Rang's Punny Name, plus the casual racism thrown at her, by the heroes no less.
  • Lola claims Romani descent through her father. Unfortunately nobody ever says the word "Romani", opting instead for "gypsy", which is seen as a serious slur nowadays.