Search - Shamus on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Adult Language, Adult Humor, Sexual Situations Movie Release: 1973 DVD Release: 09/24/2002 Format: DVD - Closed Captioned Edition: Restored/Remastered Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 39 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Members Wishing: 6 Genres: Mystery, Comedy Thriller, Detective Film

This detective-themed action-adventure film spoofs The Big Sleep, which was based on the novel by Raymond Chandler. Burt Reynolds plays McCoy, a hard-nosed private detective. The story has more tangles than a bowl of spaghetti, but it begins when McCoy is called to the house of Hume (Ron Weyand), an eccentric diamond dealer, and is given the task of recovering some stolen gems. McCoy is beaten by a gang of thugs to warn him off the job, and this lets him know that he's onto something really big. By the end of the film, McCoy will have hooked up with a gorgeous blonde (Dyan Cannon), driven a tank through a warehouse wall, and delivered numerous crooks to the police. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Burt Reynolds - McCoy
Dyan Cannon - Alexis
John Ryan - Col. Hardcore
Joe Santos - Lt. Promuto
Georgio Tozzi - Dottore
John Glover - Johnnie
Tony Amato Jr. - Willie
Jimmy Kelly - Grifter
Lou Martell - Rock

Burt Reynolds stars in the hard hitting Shamus. The film is presented in a cropped 1.33:1 aspect ratio which sports all the inconsistencies of a pan and scan feature -- soft colors, an excessive amount of grain and washed out colors. While the black levels are generally dark and solid, overall this is a disappointing transfer from Columbia. The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround in English. This is a very lifeless sound mix that sports little-to-no directional effects and mostly clear dialogue, effects and music. Though the mix isn't anything special, overall it works well within the confines of the film. Also included on this disc are English, French and Spanish subtitles. The only extra features included on this disc are theatrical trailers for various Columbia films. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide