Gumshoe (1971)
Release Date: Dec 1, 1971 Wide
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Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 280
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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
Dec 1, 1971 Wide
Feb 3, 2009
Sony Pictures Entertainment
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Cast
-
Albert Finney
Eddie -
Billie Whitelaw
Ellen -
Frank Finlay
William -
Janice Rule
Mrs. Blankerscoon -
Carolyn Seymour
Alison -
George Innes
Bookshop Proprietor -
Fulton Mackay
Straker -
Christian Scott
Club Artist -
Christopher Cunningham
Clifford -
Vicki Day
Artist in Club -
Bill Dean
Tommy -
Ernie Mac and the Saturat...
Club Musicians -
Harry Hutchinson
Kleptomaniac -
-
Ken Jones
Labor Exchange Clerk -
Jason Kane
Artist in Club -
Bert King
Mal -
Maureen Lipman
Naomi -
Wendy Richard
Anne -
George Silver
De Fries -
Neville Smith
Arthur -
Tom Kempinski
Psychiatrist -
James Oscar Lee
Azinge -
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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.
... 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...
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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.