FREE: Peeper (1975)

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4.0 out of 5 stars The case for 'Peeper',
Amazon Review By Brian January 20, 2013
Peter Hyams' noir homage/spoof 'Peeper' has been thoroughly-- and somewhat justifiably-- savaged by critics and the public since its largely ignored 1976 theatrical release. The first time I watched it several years ago, in fact-- though I found it mildly entertaining-- fancying myself a hardcore noir enthusiast, I got irritated with its shortcomings and ultimately was left unimpressed by its efforts to achieve either clever satire or classic-noir-era verity. Having revisited it recently, however, I'm more inclined to group it in with a handful of contemporaneous oddities (none of them too successful commercially) that aspired to the same ends-- namely 'Gumshoe,' 'Murder by Death,' 'The Cheap Detective,' and 'Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid,' as well as more serious offerings such as the '70s remakes of 'The Big Sleep' and 'Farewell, My Lovely'-- and now view 'Peeper' less testily than I once did. Yes, a British private ***** in 1947 L.A. played by Harry Palmer-via-Michael Caine is strange and a little distracting. Yes, the lovely Natalie Wood makes rather a stiff and unconvincing femme fatale. Yes, the humor is corny. And, yes, the story is convoluted and lacks narrative/dramatic cohesion sufficient to create anything but artificial suspense. But all the above-mentioned movies have similar flaws and I think can be appreciated despite-- or perhaps because of-- those flaws, for what might pretentiously be called their 'mis-mise-en-scene': an endearing and honest, albeit wobbly, attempt to honor/re-create a bygone genre that then (fortyish years ago) certainly was not a big part of the filmgoing consciousness. Film rates 3-plus stars; presentation, a clean anamorphic widescreen print with a couple interesting mini-docs featuring the director and others discussing the making of the movie specifically and the noir period in general, merits 4-minus.