SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Murphy Howard I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

tvnutt Burt Reynolds really channels a young Marlon Brando in this film. He plays Lt. Phil Gains and is a cool character who doesn't like to get too close to people(he has a penchant for 30's style music and vernacular). He lives with his girlfriend, played by Catherine Deneuve, who happens to be a Call Girl but neither of them are willing to give up the dangers(mental and physical) of their careers. However, they dream about running off to Europe. It's as if they are afraid of what will happen if they do.To sum it up, Gains is called in to investigate the body of a young girl found dead on a beach. It is ruled a suicide but the girl's parents, mainly her father, refuse to believe it. The father, played by actor Ben Johnson, is seeking revenge and Gains wants to be one step ahead of him. To me, the standout in this film is actor Eddie Albert, who I've always had a crush on. This is probably the creepiest role he ever played. He's a lawyer with mob connections and won't let anyone stand in his way. He is also a client of Deneuve's character and grins ear-to-ear when talking about the dead girl and the pleasure he and friends got from her. We're talking HUGE creep factor here. In one scene he refers to the girl by saying "She could get milk out of a crowbar." Don't think I need to explain THAT line. This film is the typical 1970's cop film with lounge jazz music playing over a car scene. Pretty tame by today's standards but did earn an R-rating. There is reference to a porno film that is supposed to feature Albert's character Leo Sellers(again pushing that creep factor up!). "Hustle" is probably one of Burt's more forgettable films but it is fun to see him take to a role so seriously after seeing him in Smokey and his other action films.

utopia-00092 I have to agree with the reviewer who gave it an 8. I give it a 10. I caught this movie randomly channel surfing; on The Retro Movie channel. The listing gave it two stars; and I have to say it deserves a 4 stars out of 4 stars. I also, can't believe Comcast; or whoever rated the movie gave it two stars. It is Just a very intelligent movie; that works on many levels. It is a sophisticated movie; and that might have something to do with it getting such a low rating from a general American audience? I can see that in Europe it would have been appreciated more; for obvious reasons. There is a scene where the protagonist and girlfriend are in a cinema; watching "A Man an A Woman"; which is a French Film by the esteemed; French New Wave Director; Francois Truffaut; this right there is a good example of why an American audience would not appreciate this film; for what it is? A great film.

obonas Great, underrated film noir, expertly written, master class of the genre. Begs to be rediscovered. If you are a purist of noir, then this is a gift to you, courtesy of Aldrich. There is so much more to Burt Reynolds than people give him credit, and he proves it here. I may be alone in this, but i got the impression the film was lit for black and white and comes off badly in colour - the contrast is too extreme, and ultimately works against the film. Curiously, when i tuned it to b/w it looked incredible - as moody and mean as Aldrich would would have intended. And Deneuve isn't as bad as the critics made out. if you love noir and have a problem with this film, i can't begin to understand why.

hsimon-5 Does anyone know the name of the opera piece that Burt plays while sitting in his car ? I haven't seen the movie in a long time but I remember thinking Burt did a good job and Eddie Albert was great . It was such an unusual part for Mr. Albert to play . Catherine Deneuve was nice to look at but she was cold . I have to get a copy and watch this again . The scene in Burts car really sticks in my mind . I can hear the music and I think Burt mentions the title but I have forgotten it . I thought Burt was believable in this role . Guess you can tell I'm treading water just trying to fill up the required ten lines . I really am only interested in the name of that song .