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Gumshoe (1971)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer:
Neville Smith (written by)
Release Date:
December 1971 (UK)
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Tagline:
Ginley's a gumshoe. Ginley's got guts. Ginley's got a gun. more
Plot:
Ginley (Albert Finney) is a nightclub bingo caller eager for a career change. On his thirty-first birthday...
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Awards:
Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards.
Another 1 win
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NewsDesk:
Movie Alert! Four Back-to-back Winners On TCM Tonight
(From CinemaRetro. 7 November 2009, 2:09 AM, PST)
(From CinemaRetro. 7 November 2009, 2:09 AM, PST)
User Comments:
Superb writing and acting make this as fresh as when first released
more (12 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Albert Finney | ... | Eddie Ginley |
 | Billie Whitelaw | ... | Ellen |
| Frank Finlay | ... | William |
| Janice Rule | ... | Mrs. Blankerscoon |
| Carolyn Seymour | ... | Alison |
| Fulton Mackay | ... | Straker |
| George Innes | ... | Bookshop Proprietor |
| George Silver | ... | De Fries |
| Bill Dean | ... | Tommy (as Billy Dean) |
| Wendy Richard | ... | Anne Scott |
| Maureen Lipman | ... | Naomi |
| Neville Smith | ... | Arthur |
| Oscar James | ... | Azinge |
| Joe Kenyon | ... | Joey |
| Bert King | ... | Mal |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
88 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Quotes:
Anne Scott:
I'd rather fight than switch.
Eddie Ginley: [dialling phone] So you'd rather fight? What weight are you?
Anne Scott: Bantam.
Eddie Ginley: I'm heavy.
Anne Scott: Ooh. You've got the weight, I've got the speed.
Eddie Ginley: I sometimes hit below the belt.
Eddie Ginley: [Phones again]
Anne Scott: Hit below the belt, do you?
Eddie Ginley: And I've got a long reach.
Anne Scott: That's no good in a clinch.
[...]
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Eddie Ginley: [dialling phone] So you'd rather fight? What weight are you?
Anne Scott: Bantam.
Eddie Ginley: I'm heavy.
Anne Scott: Ooh. You've got the weight, I've got the speed.
Eddie Ginley: I sometimes hit below the belt.
Eddie Ginley: [Phones again]
Anne Scott: Hit below the belt, do you?
Eddie Ginley: And I've got a long reach.
Anne Scott: That's no good in a clinch.
[...]
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Red Dwarf: Gunmen of the Apocalypse (#6.3)" (1993)
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Soundtrack:
Baby, You're Good For Me
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (12 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Gumshoe (1971)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| It will be on Region 2 Sony DVD | nowisthetimeforheroes |
| Frears' worst? | veloc |
| My Favorite Movie | Portlondondogs |
| London Location | bert_terrible |
| 1971 Liverpool | brownozere |
| DVD Release | rich_groovy |
Recommendations
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I recently saw this for the fourth time, the first time having been in the cinema upon its release. This first viewing saw me classifying it as a pastiche along the lines of Woody Allen's "Play it again, Sam" or "The Black Bird" with George Segal. In fact, the script and acting of "Gumshoe" make it infinitely better than either of these two and put it into that rare category of films, which actually get BETTER with each viewing. For a film approaching its fortieth anniversary, obviously much of the background, (such as the physical locations in Liverpool and Billie Whitelaw's being 'locked' into her loveless marriage with Frank Finlay), are now museum pieces/views into the past. Overall, though, the film still comes across as amazingly fresh and entertains from beginning to end. The lightning speed patter and one-liners are razor sharp and the performances by ALL of the lead characters are stunning. The nearest parallel I can find is "The Third Man" and, while it is definitely not in that category overall, I still think this is a very good film indeed which was vastly underestimated when it first came out,(for example by me!), and which only grows in stature and the enjoyment it affords with each renewed viewing.