"Tipping you the black spot"This was a true 60’s noir delight and I'm so sad that I put this one off after accidentally watching the not so great "Pendulum" but Peppard(P.J.) is in full effect here as a down and out former Marine turned detective with so many debts around town that he's a liable case walking but he luckily gets a case that pays him well and one that he treats professionally... but maybe to professionally to the liking of the boss William Orbison(played by the great Raymond Burr who was also born in the same town I was) who is a rich magnate. Honestly it's very well scripted and I actually do enjoy John Guillermin's directorial style especially here in which he captures all the cliches but really ratchets up the tension as it goes along and fills narrative holes with colourful characters and sexual dynamic. Totally recommend this beast of a film for it's style and performance in which more should check out even if the opening riff sounds like the "Odd Couple" theme song. So grab a cozy beverage and warm up to the fire at night and get cozy with some P.J.:)
Filled with twists and turns, this is a marvelous and fairly bleak Major Studio late 60's neo-noir. Sharp, entertaining, exploitive and unseen for years.George Peppard plays the title character, a down on his luck private detective named Peter Joseph Detweiler. The hard drinking PI has been reduced to spying on cheating spouses for his paycheck-to-paycheck existence, when an affluent tycoon (a great turn from Raymond Burr) hires him to be a bodyguard for his mistress (on what promises to be a nice payday). It seems she's been the recipient of some menacing letters. P.J. is apprehensive but takes the gig. It's not long until threats on her life are being made, including a shot fired into her bedroom. But something about it all doesn't ring true for our lead...and he's also starting to fall in love with her (naturally).Peppard never reached the heights of being a big box-office draw, but damn it he should have. Handsome, funny, cool as Hell, and able to pour on the cynicism with the best of them, Peppard is perfectly cast, and ably carries the film on his shoulders. That's not to undersell the interesting supporting players. The stunning Gayle Hunnicutt scores as Maureen Preble (the mistress). One of a small run of nifty films she co-starred in during the late 60's and early 70's (like "Eye of the Cat" and "Marlowe"), before turning to mostly TV work. Perhaps best of all is Burr, who is clearly relishing playing a complete creep again after years of projecting nobility on television on the popular series "Ironside". The cast is rounded out with the likes of Brock Peters (so memorable in "To Kill a Mockingbird"), the always reliable Herb Edelman ("The Yakuza"), Susan St. James (best remembered for her two popular TV series "McMillan & Wife" and "Kate & Allie") as a confident and flirtatious younger girl (my God, was she beautiful), and there's also a solid dramatic turn from Artie Johnson (!), before "Laugh In" redefined his public persona.Outside of it's theatrical run, the movie has pretty much been lost to the rare, edited television airing. Copies of that cut version made the rounds during the VHS era, but now the uncut version is out there on the internet in a decent, if aged print. All the sequences of violence and sexuality, as well as a wild and vicious (if not dated) scene in a gay bar have been returned. Look for it!Released in the UK as "New Face in Hell", this is a bitter mystery film I'm very glad to have sought out. With plenty of intrigue and a great third act, it's underrated in my book. Some label needs to give this gem the Blu-Ray/DVD release it deserves. Recommended!
