Shamus (1973) ** (out of 4) Shamus McCoy (Burt Reynolds) is a rough and tough New York private detective who is hired to track down the people who set a couple on fire. It turns out this couple was behind a jewelry robbery so whoever killed them now has the jewels.SHAMUS is a pretty disappointing film on many levels as it's so darn boring and has such a bland screenplay that it's easy to see why the movie has pretty much been forgotten. A lot of Reynolds' movies from this period are now considered classics but this one here has pretty much remained in the shadows for a good reason. It's certainly a shame that the movie didn't turn out a bit better because it has some elements that could have made for something much more memorable.The biggest issue I had with the film was the fact that the screenplay just didn't feature a very interesting mystery. The film also suffers from not knowing exactly what it wants to do because at times it almost seems like a spoof of the film noir genre with some really lame comedy bits. Just look at the opening sequence with Reynolds getting out of bed with a woman and doing some sort of comic bit that just isn't funny. There's a lot of flirting done by Reynolds but none of it is overly charming or cute.The film contains mostly forgettable performances and I'd include the lead in on this as well. Reynolds just really seems out of it here as if even he knows that the story isn't all that special. Dyan Cannon makes for a boring female co-star and none of the other supporting players pack much of a punch. The slow style doesn't help things and director Buzz Kulik just doesn't add any flair to the material.

Burt Reynolds plays a streetwise private detective from Brooklyn hired by an eccentric millionaire to locate diamonds stolen by flamethrower-wielding killers, a burglary that may be a cover for an export deal in government arms; wealthy Dyan Cannon also hires the shambling shamus (for $75 dollars a day plus expenses!) to follow her suspicious-acting brother, who figures in the dirty business. Screenwriter Barry Beckerman was apparently doing a violent send-up of "The Big Sleep"--but forgot the sly humor; everything here is hammered home, most especially Reynolds' prowess with the ladies (and if there isn't a naked babe on his pool table, there are plenty to ogle on his walls). Fine New York City locations help, but the plot's detour into military territory is uninteresting. Reynolds, acting 'cute,' is no Humphrey Bogart; he does a comedic double-take like a seasoned pro, but has nothing else going on under his patented charm. *1/2 from ****

This film is worth viewing just for the pantomime Reynolds does during the opening credits; some really funny stuff. I also liked the fact that an old Twilight Zone alumnus, Buzz Kulick, directed. Reynolds is not a great actor and he knows it. He tends to play the same character in every film he appears in. The one exception is of course the masterpiece Deliverence, where he plays the stoic man of action to the hilt. Shamus is a fast breezy piece of work that is fun to watch and it appears that Burt Reynolds had fun making it. Reynolds also has a tie to The Twilight Zone. In an episode called The Bard, playing a method actor called Rocky Rhodes, Reynolds does a hilarious parody of Marlon Brando.

Although this was a fast-paced pretty interesting crime story, it was not memorable, which is probably one reason there are so few reviews here.Burt Reynolds was perfect for '70s film world of film in which just about anything was shown or heard now that all the restrictions were removed. Burt, as he did in this film, would sleep with any girl that came along. In one scene, Reynolds enters a bookstore, sees the clerk has a "nice pair of boobs," so they have sex immediately right at the store. Only in the sleazy '70s of Hollywood! (Or in most men's dreams.)Actually, Burt excelled in films that combined action and humor, which this has but not enough to make this one of more-remembered movies. However, it does have very little nudity despite the above paragraph and no blasphemy. The best part of the movies might be the final action scene which provides two laugh-out- loud scenes.