Today’s quick review: The Cheap Detective. Peter Falk stars as Lou Peckinpaugh, a Bogart-esque private eye in 1940s San Francisco, in this pastiche of Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon. While investigating the death of his partner, Lou stumbles into a decade-long hunt for a valuable set of stolen jewels. His search is complicated by a veritable arsenal of femmes fatales, including his partner’s obsessive widow (Marsha Mason), a jewel hunter in a series of obvious aliases (Madeline Khan), an old flame with a tendency to drone about liberty (Louise Fletcher), and a low rent lounge singer (Eileen Brennan). Along the way, Lou is tasked with retrieving a restaurant license for a hero of the French Resistance. Dogged by the police for his partner’s death, Lou must solve the case, clear his name, find the jewels, and get the girl(s).
At first The Cheap Detective appears to have a confusing, nonsensical plot designed to string together a series of scenes directly spoofing Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon. But beneath this facade is a skilled and goofy comedy that manages to weave a wide range of characters and plot elements into an entertaining whole. Peter Falk plays an excellent Humphrey Bogart, hard-boiled on the outside yet comedically flappable. His supporting cast is magnificent, with standout performances by passionate, troublesome Marsha Mason and never-say-die con woman Madeline Khan.
The comedy is a blend of sight gags, over-the-top characters, and on-the-nose parodies of noir conventions. Lou puts his gun to the phone when a stranger calls him in the middle of the night. Paul DuChard, the French hero, dreams not of escaping to the United States but of opening up a French restaurant. The Nazis he faces are not German officers but members of the Cincinnati Gestapo. The widow of Lou’s partner talks openly of their affair while the police are listening in. The gags are frequent, silly, and clever, making The Cheap Detective a comedy that
Fans of Murder by Death should definitely give The Cheap Detective a watch. Neil Simon writes both films, and several members of the cast are carried over, including Peter Falk, Eileen Brennan, and James Coco. Murder by Death has a stronger cast and broader comedy, but The Cheap Detective is less macabre and acts as a worthy comedic successor. Much like Murder by Death, The Cheap Detective gets stronger on subsequent viewings as the idiosyncrasies of its plot fade away and the strong humor comes to the fore. Fans of Peter Falk, Humphrey Bogart, and silly comedy should check out The Cheap Detective. If this isn’t your brand of humor, skip it.
6.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for comedic genius hiding in a confusing plot. As with Murder by Death, its quality varies with how its humor catches you, ranging from 6.0 at the low end to 8.0 on a good day.