Ah Burt Reynolds, top-earning movie star for five years
later in the decade and fresh off the back of his stunning turn in Deliverance,
here displaying that unique chemistry that made men want to be him and women,
no doubt, want to be with him. This is by way of balance with other films I may
has assessed with reference to the characteristics of female stars, always
couched in the most respectfully considered of phrases of course, but here the
male gaze is very much on Burt’s physique through large chunks of the film. Director
Buzz Kulik just can’t get enough of the Burt-bod and it’s displayed as often as
possible along with the actor’s laconic charm.
Seymour “Buzz” Kulik worked mostly in TV and this film
does have the feel of a TV movie being neither as gritty as a Clint Eastwood
cinematic release nor as long on budget. We get plenty of good location work in
New York along with a huge dash of class from Dyan Canon who, in the absence of
a great script literally laughs her way through certain scenes. She first meets
Burt’s character, a private dick called Shamus McCoy, in a bar as he pinches
her bottom pretending it was an effeminate man nervously nursing a beer; Dyan
knows there’s not enough here and we know but she smiles her way through all
the same with enough brilliance to suggest real chemistry between the
characters.
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| Burt |
Shamus is indeed “of its time” but I chose to believe
that the focus on Reynold’s sexuality is more ground-breaking than it might
look, certainly in the absence of overt nudity from Cannon and the other female
performers. It feels like a succession of early 70s tropes all tied together by
a vaguely believable storyline laden with character quirks and action
opportunities for the former parole officer, truck driver and stunt man.
"I don't care whether he can act or not, anyone who
has this effect on women deserves a break…” said Lew Wasserman after Reynolds
signed a seven-year deal with Universal in the late 50’s. But Burt worked hard
to become a naturalistic player and enjoyed that huge career as a result of his
work ethic as well as his natural charms. By 1973 it may have looked like he
could walk his way through any movie and in Shamus he does exactly that… and he’s
a force of nature matched only by Cannon’s elegantly restrained star power: she’s
a Dyan Dazzler alright and technically very gifted. She had in fact withdrawn from
the business after her toxic time on Such Good Friends (reviewed elsewhere on this blog) but was keen to work
with Reynolds and they do work a screwball charm together.
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| Burt and Dyan showing their chemistry |
Shamus starts of with the brutal murder of a couple who
are burned to death in their bed and a packet of diamonds stolen. The titles
roll as we cut to Shamus waking up with a hangover and a blonde in his bed atop
a pool table in his “characterful” warehouse apartment somewhere in downtown Manhattan.
Heck, minus the blonde-night stand (Melody Santangelo) and the pool table we’ve
all had wakeups like this, albeit without Burt’s Velcro-vulnerable torso.
He gets the call to visit the local Mr Big, or as he is
properly entitled, Mister E.J. Hume (Ron Weyand) who has all the signifiers of
a weirdo criminal; large mansion, check, security guards walking huge attack
dogs, check and aircon in his office which he keeps near freezing… check, but
possible over-elaboration. Shamus is frightened of the dogs, possibly hinting
at some childhood trauma or at least good common sense given the size of them.
He gets offered the job of retrieving Hume’s diamonds and finding out who had
the audacity to rob him…
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| Mister E.J. Hume and his men |
A lead from one of the card players leads Shamus to a
junky – cue chase and threats with violence – and from there to a bar called
The Health Club where he meets Springy for a de-brief and, despite taking a
brief time out to sexually harass Dyan Cannon’s Alexis Montaigne, who’s brother
owns the bar, he spots a dodgy looking waiter. He stakes out the joint from a
bookshop across the road run by an attractive redhead (Kay Frye) and passes the
time by making a pass… sometime later her leaves the shop and then sets about assaulting
the waiter in exchange for a little more information to lead him on.
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| Dyan Cannon, Burt and Alex Wilson |
He’s beginning to make connections which is exactly why
he is ambushed in his apartment by three guys who beat him up and tell him to
reconsider his career path. Springy finds him fully clothed in the bath
soothing his bruises in his overly quirky way. But he’s not the kind of man to take
a beating and knowing now that Alexis’ brother Felix (Alex Wilson) is involved
he heads to their plus midtown apartment to find out exactly how much…
The film is a jumble of set pieces and set characters and
naturally Felix is an Ivy League smart Alec too involved to feel the need to
explain himself to a private eye. Still, it’s a chance for Shamus to charm Alexis
some more and we know where this is headed… but he’ll have to work at his
chance to play pool with Alexis.
The story has more twists and turns than is healthy and
whilst these “McGuffins” are all necessary to move the story on, you don’t
necessarily care about the central crime at the heart of the story. What you do
get is plenty of action in the closing stages, allowing Burt to run some stunts
and escape the bad guys after uncovering – part – of the shocking truth in a
warehouse. Then he finds a military connection via Alexis and the two have to
escape the same careless henchmen this time driving in a US Army truck… Smokey
and the Bandit never had it so good!
Dusty Verdict: This film is fun, but the reasons for it
are most certainly not to do with the story, you have two bankable, exceptionally likeable
stars and some great period New York City and the vague satisfaction that these
are the good guys. But the stakes are rarely raised and that’s surely something
that could easily have been fixed.
All the same, worth watching for Dyan and Burt! Plus, a
cracking score from legend Jerry Goldsmith!
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