Gumshoe Reviews

This offbeat feature debut from director Stephen Frears (MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE, DANGEROUS LIAISONS, THE GRIFTERS) cleverly satirizes the detective films of the past, particularly those featuring the hardboiled private eyes created by Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Finney, a bingo caller in a seedy Liverpool nightclub who envisions himself as a tough detective a la Humphrey Bogart, advertises his sleuthing services and is hired by a mysterious fat man (Silver). After receiving a package containing a photo of a young woman (Seymour), a gun and a thousand pounds--but no instructions--Finney becomes enmeshed in an extraordinarily convoluted affair that involves heroin smuggling, gun running and African politics. Produced by Finney's own company, GUMSHOE is packed with witty, if absurd, dialogue and plenty of action, all harking back to the film noir days of the tough detective and made even funnier by Finney's struggles through the awkward transition from British commoner to the image of a hard-as-nails American-type sleuth. Great fun.