A guilty pleasure to be liked by suspense/humor enthusiasts . An enjoyable and well-performed film , that is letdown -at times- due to a confusing developing . This rendition of a Neil Simon's novel in an entertaining and fun spoof of Humphrey Bogart movies , specially from The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, The Big Sleep and To Have and Have . Set in San Francisco, 1940 , Lou Peckinpaugh : Peter Falk , the Cheap Detective who becomes involved into grisly killings and twisted investigations . A parody of Humphrey Bogart's movies in which our eccentric private eye has entered a world that is half Casablanca (1942) and half The Maltese Falcon (1941) . Who dunnit? This time it's Neil Simon who's really dunnit. He knows every cheap trick , cheap joke, cheap shot and cheap dame in the book . By the time the world's greatest detective work out whodunit, you could die laughing!
This popular and bemusing charade deals with a fistful of famed stars incarnating notorious characters in which are blended detectives , dames , murders , jealousy , documents , Nazis , and a valuable treasure . For Peter Falk and Neil Simon to parody Humphrey Bogart movies as Maltese Falcon or Casablanca is an easy task , but it is still pretty fun when not resorting to the obvious . Following Murder by Death (1976) style, Neil Simon remained on the set to take care of re-writes , as he did with this picture's sequel, The Cheap Detective . Simon took such a shine to Peter Falk during the picture's production that he told him if he did not like anything in the film, he'd immediately rewrite it for him, but Falk assured him it was great fun for him . The screenplay is funny and high quality in which it's not difficult to work out on which murder suspects each of them is modeled . Well-known actors have attractive but brief interventions , then appears amusement and entertainment , as all of them running around and taking place murders , who's the killer? . Stands out Peter Falk throughout the entire film, he gloriously exploits in a resourceful Bogart-like role . As Lou/Peter Falk goes through a series of scenes from the two vintage movies trying to keep ahead of the Police who think he killed his partner and find the black bird . Vast supporting cast and equally game for entertainment in this consistently attractive adventure . As a large and excellent secondary cast containing a lot of familar faces , such as : Ann-Margret , Eileen Brennan , Sid Caesar , Stockard Channing , James Coco , Dom DeLuise, Louise Fletcher , John Houseman, Fernando Lamas, Phil Silvers , Paul Williams, Nicol Williamson , Carmine Caridi , James Cromwell , Scatman Crothers , David Ogden Stiers , Jonathan Banks, Abe Vigoda, John Calvin , David Ogden Stiers , Vic Tayback, among others . It is in fact an amusing imitation of Crime Story including agreeable and sympathetic performances by the entire cast . The entire cast seems to be subsisting on sugar with wild eyes and frenetic movements the order of the day . You'll enjoy enormously the impersonations of similar roles to other classic films .
It displays a lively and charming musical score by Patrick Williams. As well as evocative and colorful cinematography in Panavision by John A. Alonzo . The motion picture was competently directed by Robert Moore who was a good comedy director : Murder by death , The Cheap Detective , Chapter two , Thursday's Game . Rating : 6/10 . Preceeded by ¨Murder by Death¨(1976) by Robert Moore , with Peter Sellers , Eileen Brennan, Peter Falk , David Niven, Truman Capote, James Coco , Alec Guinness , Elsa Lanchester . Followed by another hammy spoof titled ¨Clue¨(1985) a pale imitation of the earlier parody , being directed by Jonathan Lynn with Tim Curry , Christopher Lloyd , Lesley Ann Warren and Madeline Khan .
This popular and bemusing charade deals with a fistful of famed stars incarnating notorious characters in which are blended detectives , dames , murders , jealousy , documents , Nazis , and a valuable treasure . For Peter Falk and Neil Simon to parody Humphrey Bogart movies as Maltese Falcon or Casablanca is an easy task , but it is still pretty fun when not resorting to the obvious . Following Murder by Death (1976) style, Neil Simon remained on the set to take care of re-writes , as he did with this picture's sequel, The Cheap Detective . Simon took such a shine to Peter Falk during the picture's production that he told him if he did not like anything in the film, he'd immediately rewrite it for him, but Falk assured him it was great fun for him . The screenplay is funny and high quality in which it's not difficult to work out on which murder suspects each of them is modeled . Well-known actors have attractive but brief interventions , then appears amusement and entertainment , as all of them running around and taking place murders , who's the killer? . Stands out Peter Falk throughout the entire film, he gloriously exploits in a resourceful Bogart-like role . As Lou/Peter Falk goes through a series of scenes from the two vintage movies trying to keep ahead of the Police who think he killed his partner and find the black bird . Vast supporting cast and equally game for entertainment in this consistently attractive adventure . As a large and excellent secondary cast containing a lot of familar faces , such as : Ann-Margret , Eileen Brennan , Sid Caesar , Stockard Channing , James Coco , Dom DeLuise, Louise Fletcher , John Houseman, Fernando Lamas, Phil Silvers , Paul Williams, Nicol Williamson , Carmine Caridi , James Cromwell , Scatman Crothers , David Ogden Stiers , Jonathan Banks, Abe Vigoda, John Calvin , David Ogden Stiers , Vic Tayback, among others . It is in fact an amusing imitation of Crime Story including agreeable and sympathetic performances by the entire cast . The entire cast seems to be subsisting on sugar with wild eyes and frenetic movements the order of the day . You'll enjoy enormously the impersonations of similar roles to other classic films .
It displays a lively and charming musical score by Patrick Williams. As well as evocative and colorful cinematography in Panavision by John A. Alonzo . The motion picture was competently directed by Robert Moore who was a good comedy director : Murder by death , The Cheap Detective , Chapter two , Thursday's Game . Rating : 6/10 . Preceeded by ¨Murder by Death¨(1976) by Robert Moore , with Peter Sellers , Eileen Brennan, Peter Falk , David Niven, Truman Capote, James Coco , Alec Guinness , Elsa Lanchester . Followed by another hammy spoof titled ¨Clue¨(1985) a pale imitation of the earlier parody , being directed by Jonathan Lynn with Tim Curry , Christopher Lloyd , Lesley Ann Warren and Madeline Khan .