Shamus (1973)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Buzz Kulik

Writer:

Barry Beckerman (written by)

Release Date:

5 February 1973 (Sweden)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Drama

Tagline:

SHAMUS a pool-shooting, card-playing, broad-chasing, private eye...cross him, and he'll blow your head off!

Plot:

New York private eye Shamus McCoy likes girls, drink and gambling, but by the look of his flat business can't be too hot...

Plot Keywords:

Diamond | Flamethrower | Cat | Private Detective | Character Name In Title

Cast

Burt Reynolds	...	Shamus McCoy
Dyan Cannon	...	Alexis Montaigne
John P. Ryan	...	Hardcore
Joe Santos	...	Lieutenant Promuto
Giorgio Tozzi	...	Dottore
Ron Weyand	...	E.J. Hume
Larry Block	...	Springy
Beeson Carroll	...	Bolton
Kevin Conway	...	The Kid
Kay Frye	...	Bookstore Girl
John Glover	...	Johnnie
Merwin Goldsmith	...	Schnook
Melody Santangello	...	Alice
Irving Selbst	...	Heavy
Alex Wilson	...	Felix Montaigne

Also Known As:

Passion for Danger

Runtime:

106 min | Norway:100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1990) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1973) | Iceland:16 | Norway:16 | UK:18 | USA:PG (certificate #23378)

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

There is a shot in the movie where Burt Reynolds grabs a tree branch during a chase scene, it breaks and he falls to the ground. That was not planned. The branch broke accidentally during filming and the footage looked so good, they kept it in the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When McCoy enters the shipping room at the warehouse, the border pattern on the front of the glass panel does not match that seen through from the rear. The two verticals over the PP in SHIPPING should be visible through the frosted glass, but there is a horizontal join instead.

Movie Connections:

References The Big Sleep (1946)

Burt Reynolds a s "low brow" "Saint" or James Bond

This film brings back good memories for me. It's the first film that I had enough nerve to ask a girl out to when I was a teen. As my first official date, I was soon upstaged by the very rising star power of Burt Reynolds.

I think this film must have been planned as a recurring character for Reynolds--sort of a low brow "Saint" or a poor man's James Bond. Like "Remo Williams--The Adventure Begins" it unfortunately ended as soon as it began. Bigger and better things came to Reynolds soon after this release and he apparently sought not to be type cast as an American P.I. with a Scottish variant of the name James.

Still, it was a good film, and exciting and action packed by the standards of the day. Reynolds is a cool, believable and likable hero figure who acts like Popeye on spinach in the fight scenes. Cannon is good scenery in the film, but not much more. This isn't her fault--the script treats her like little more than a prop. The villain in the film is hate worthy, though not formidable, but his "henchmen" provide good conflict for the "I do my own stunts" Reynolds.

I give the film a 7 out of 10.