Burt Reynolds is the womanizing, hard-drinking, card-playing, pool-sharking, Private Eye Shamus McCoy – in this Burtsploitation action-mystery-comedy, that punches nuance in the face through a sheet of glass. Shot on location in New York, Shamus is hired – “you think you can buy me?” – by a millionaire who’s willing to pay him ten grand to investigate a diamond heist – “you just bought me” and although he gives as good as he gets (Reynolds is all mustache-macho with some bone cracking stunts), he soon realizes he’s in above his $75.00 a day plus expenses paygrade. Two-time Academy Award nominee Dyan Cannon is the Bacall to Reynolds’ Bogart, bringing a playful onscreen chemistry that breaks up the violence that follows Shamus, and Jerry Goldsmith’s underrated score paces the film, with an opening title which is among the decade’s best.
“Reynolds finds himself hot on the trail of a dead body, gets involved with the Mafia, visits a penthouse, a warehouse, a bar and a restaurant, gets himself beaten up several times, throws a few good punches, engages in two chase scenes and makes love to Dyan Cannon. What else can I say?” – Roger Ebert
