This is one of those could've been films. With the right story and leading man it could have gone somewhere. But as it is it just meanders meaninglessly. The biggest problem here is the lead character Johnny Paczynski played by Greg Stuhr a gum shoe detective right out of the 1970's-80's. but in living in the present day. He wears a 1970's jacket (I owned one just like it) Drives a forty year old car and smokes incessantly, or has a cigarette always dangling from his mouth. Charlie lives in his office, drinking hard liquor and taking PI odd jobs. He always has an unpleasant nasty look on his face.
I have seen quite a few detective films but I have never seen a bald lead character detective with lamb chop 1970's sideburns. We've seen completely bald lead star detectives; Telly Savalas as Kojak, and Bruce Willis. Willis would have been perfect as Charlie in this film. He does possess the serious rough edge swagger and can utter funny one liners with a slight tinge of comedy that is needed for this character. Unfortunately Stuhr does not possess these qualities. Stuhr looks more like a disgruntled CPA or a banker that needs a shave. Stuhr's slight frame and his demeanor are all wrong for this character. He doesn't have the sex appeal that Willis has, and when almost seduced by the lovey Emily Chase ( Camilla Belle) a client seeking his help, he brushes her aside.
This film is like a paint by number mystery detective story that gets so caught up with itself that it becomes pedestrian and boring. Then you have actors just reciting lines in different scene locations. Matthew Broderick shows up in the film as the villain Borden Chase. Broderick looks as though he is imitating about a dozen past film villains. He also is imitating Marlon Brando and Orson Welles in their later years by becoming a Hollywood overweight actor. Broderick must have packed on thirty pounds. It was sad to see veteran actor Robert Vaughn wasted in a short scene portraying a grumpy eighty five year old tenant. Vaughn was the dashing handsome spy in the 1960's TV hit series The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Janeane Garofalo makes a short appearance as elusive Agent Barry. I did not recognize her at first. For we all remember her as the adorable pretty cute actress in comedy films some twenty year ago. Here they had her wear no make-up and used harsh lighting that made her look old and horrible. With Stuhr as the film's screenwriter along with the film's Director Jenna Ricker. Stuhr must have pulled rank and insisted on playing the lead role here. Big big mistake. But of course the mistakes were not surprising since this was Stuhr's first produced screenplay. Along with inexperienced Director Ricker who has had only one other small film under her directing belt.
The only bright spots in the film were veteran actor Robert Forster as Sterling Whitmore and the two excellent beautiful actresses Camilla Belle and Alicja Bachleda as Nikki Meeker. Meeker the key to the puzzle of this confusing film. Here Meeker is sought after by Russian and Serbian thugs out to obtain the diagram to some invention created that could be used for peaceful or destructive purposes. Any fans of Buffalo New York will get to see a lot of Western New York landmarks and buildings, with short glimpses of Niagara Falls New York The American side. A big big disappointment of a could have been should have been film.
I have seen quite a few detective films but I have never seen a bald lead character detective with lamb chop 1970's sideburns. We've seen completely bald lead star detectives; Telly Savalas as Kojak, and Bruce Willis. Willis would have been perfect as Charlie in this film. He does possess the serious rough edge swagger and can utter funny one liners with a slight tinge of comedy that is needed for this character. Unfortunately Stuhr does not possess these qualities. Stuhr looks more like a disgruntled CPA or a banker that needs a shave. Stuhr's slight frame and his demeanor are all wrong for this character. He doesn't have the sex appeal that Willis has, and when almost seduced by the lovey Emily Chase ( Camilla Belle) a client seeking his help, he brushes her aside.
This film is like a paint by number mystery detective story that gets so caught up with itself that it becomes pedestrian and boring. Then you have actors just reciting lines in different scene locations. Matthew Broderick shows up in the film as the villain Borden Chase. Broderick looks as though he is imitating about a dozen past film villains. He also is imitating Marlon Brando and Orson Welles in their later years by becoming a Hollywood overweight actor. Broderick must have packed on thirty pounds. It was sad to see veteran actor Robert Vaughn wasted in a short scene portraying a grumpy eighty five year old tenant. Vaughn was the dashing handsome spy in the 1960's TV hit series The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Janeane Garofalo makes a short appearance as elusive Agent Barry. I did not recognize her at first. For we all remember her as the adorable pretty cute actress in comedy films some twenty year ago. Here they had her wear no make-up and used harsh lighting that made her look old and horrible. With Stuhr as the film's screenwriter along with the film's Director Jenna Ricker. Stuhr must have pulled rank and insisted on playing the lead role here. Big big mistake. But of course the mistakes were not surprising since this was Stuhr's first produced screenplay. Along with inexperienced Director Ricker who has had only one other small film under her directing belt.
The only bright spots in the film were veteran actor Robert Forster as Sterling Whitmore and the two excellent beautiful actresses Camilla Belle and Alicja Bachleda as Nikki Meeker. Meeker the key to the puzzle of this confusing film. Here Meeker is sought after by Russian and Serbian thugs out to obtain the diagram to some invention created that could be used for peaceful or destructive purposes. Any fans of Buffalo New York will get to see a lot of Western New York landmarks and buildings, with short glimpses of Niagara Falls New York The American side. A big big disappointment of a could have been should have been film.