The Cheap Detective (1978) looks so good on paper - Peter Falk plays a 40s detective in a pastiche of Maltese Falcon and Casablanca. Madeline Kahn, Dom De Luise, Abe Vigoda, Ann-Margaret, Sid Caesar, and a million others co-star. But I forgot one detail: It was written by Neil Simon.
It starts with a murder scene - everyone in a flophouse hotel has been shot. But the murderer was after a detective. His wife calls his partner Peter Falk to let him know. She also tells the police that they were having an affair. Now Falk has to clear his name.
Madeline Kahn shows up at his office and gives him a long list of aliases. She is looking for a particular treasure, although she's pretty canny on details. Meanwhile, a bunch of American and German Nazis are doing something, and someone needs letters of transit. And a few other plots from Bogart movies.
To be clear, all the character actors and comedians are great. They deliver the way you expect them to. Falk makes a great Bogart, surprisingly. He looks rough enough, and his tough-guy mumble isn't far off Bogart's. The only problem, and I feel that it is fatal, is Simon. Time and again, when it's time for the punchline, he reaches for the most hackneyed, obvious one. A lot of the setups are pretty stale too. Why is he so popular?
This is sort of a spiritual sequel to Murder by Death. I had the same reaction to that one.
1 comment:
I meant to see that movie at the Flick 1 2 3 in Sherwood Plaza but missed out for the stupidest reason. My stutter was really bad then and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to say the movie's name without embarrassing myself. But now I can!
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