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Gumshoe

Gumshoe (1971)

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Release Date: Dec 1, 1971 Wide

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56

liked it
Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 280

My Rating

Movie Info

Part spoof and part "straight," Gumshoe comes off as an affectionate tribute to the hard-boiled detective films of yore. Albert Finney stars as Eddie Ginley, a Liverpool bingo-caller and erstwhile comedian who has been weaned on the novels of Raymond Chandler and Dashiel Hammett. Fancying himself an ace detective, Ginley quits his job to form his own agency. Before long, he is involved in a complex mystery with decided echoes of The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep, replete with femme fatale

PG,

Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Classics, Comedy

Neville Smith

Feb 3, 2009

Sony Pictures Entertainment

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All Critics (2) | Top Critics (1) | Fresh (2) | Rotten (0) | DVD (1)

... the first feature by Stephen Frears is an unheralded gem of a film.

March 11, 2009 Full Review Source: Turner Classic Movies Online
Turner Classic Movies Online

... a loving tribute to old Hollywood detective movies, a playful tale of one man's attempt to live out a movie fantasy and a grounded drama of a man who understands the difference...

February 2, 2009 Full Review Source: Parallax View
Parallax View

Audience Reviews for Gumshoe

Stephen Frears hit the big time, see, with 1971's "Gumshoe," a likable detective yarn. It was the acclaimed director's first theatrical feature, and he didn't direct his second until eight years later.

Albert Finney stars as Eddie Ginley, who's feeling restless in his crummy job as a Liverpool nightclub emcee. He fantasizes being a fast-talking detective as found in pulp fiction and old movies, and places an advertisement in the local paper. Shortly, he is contacted by someone who gives him a mysterious envelope containing a woman's photo, a wad of money and a gun. The story unfolds from there. The details of the case are hard to follow, but it doesn't really matter. The film's thrust is just the stylized rhythm of its dialogue and its winking homage to the Sam Spade/Philip Marlowe archetype. "Gumshoe" can't be labeled a mere spoof, however -- it aims for smiles rather than laughs, and plenty of scenes have a dramatic tone.

The prime targets of Eddie's wit are his brother William (a wealthy jerk whose shipping business may be crooked) and William's wife Ellen (Billie Whitelaw). Ellen is Eddie's former lover whom the more stable William stole away, but she still holds onto her feelings for Eddie. The crackling chemistry between Finney and Whitelaw is easily the film's greatest virtue. Two other enigmatic women dip in and out of Eddie's investigation, but don't quite make a mark like they should. A rival detective (Fulton Mackay) has some sharp moments, however.

Music fans should note that the young Andrew Lloyd Webber composed the film's score -- a rare undertaking for him.
March 19, 2010
Eric Broome

Super Reviewer

A perfect blend of humor, mystery, and drama. The films plays up some stereotypes even as it undermines them. In that regard this is a rare film indeed.
July 24, 2012
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