Gunn

This film was inevitable as the late '60s -- following Paul Newman's hit "Harper" (1966) -- reinvented the '40s-'50s private eye yarn by adding more sex and violence. GUNN fits somewhere in the middle of this trend -- not as classy as "Harper" and "Deadlier Than the Male", not as cynical and gritty as Sinatra's "Tony Rome" films (1967-68). Craig Stevens, with his wry humor and effortless charm, rises above the material, much like James Garner in "Marlowe" (1969) -- a highly recommended film in this genre.

Old school "Peter Gunn" fans will lament the absence of Lola Albright and Hershell Bernardi (a cranky Ed Asner fills in), but this should be seen on its own terms as a stand-alone film. The opening credits, with psychedelic graphics and jazzed up theme music, suggest a 007 spy film influence, but the story is a standard whodunit with gangsters and frequent murders. Some of these killings (like the diver with the spear gun) and plot turns don't make much sense or are needlessly complicated, but the fast pacing and supporting cast distracts one from worrying about the details. The sex appeal quotient is ramped up considerably by gorgeous Sherry Jackson (sadly, stunning Carol Wayne only has a cameo at the end). Jackson even did a Playboy pictorial to promote the film. And, for an added plot twist, writer-director Blake Edwards indulges in his strange obsession with gender bending (Victor Victoria, Switch, et al,).

All in all, this is a slick, breezy, enjoyable detective yarn that moves along with strategically placed scenes of action, humor, and eye candy. It is very much a product of the late '60s. (Will someone please release this, along with "P.J." and "Rogue's Gallery", on disc already?) In the next decade this genre would get darker and more complex with The Long Goodbye (1973), Chinatown (1974), and Night Moves (1975).

This film was based upon the highly regarded "Peter Gunn" television series that ran from 1958 to 61. Running for five seasons to the unforgettable title theme and background music of early Henry Mancini, the show set a standard for script writing that proved, beyond doubt, television writing need not be the 'medium of 'hacks': even within the limits of a thirty minute format interrupted by commercials. This big screen treatment starring, once again, Craig Stevens as the suave, indomitable Gunn, failed at the box office, more a casualty of the changing times than the writing and acting-both of which were superb. Unfortunately this cinematic outing in color dimmed slightly in comparison to the television series that was shot, quite effectively, in a film noir format reminiscent of detective films of the 40's. Regardless, the crisp story line and plot is intriguing from beginning to end, with the intentional humor never once tripping over the drama (credit writer William Peter Blatey). I must admit, however, I truly missed two key characters from the original series played by Herschel Bernardi and Lola Albright: their replacements were nowhere near as effective. Nevertheless, the performance of Craig Stevens must be credited for recapturing the intellectually glib character of the title character,Peter Gunn: the thinking man's 'gumshoe'. This film deserves to be seen by all those who love a really good detective story.

This movie is based on the very popular 1960's TV show "Peter Gunn." It was an early Blake Edwards effort that was unfortunately made three or four years too late. The film industry was already following the mood of the viewing public into the era of "relevance." Up against films like "The I.P.C.R.I.S. File" and "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold" it seemed lightweight and trivial. Too bad, because this film is clever, witty, well cast, well acted, well directed, well paced, well filmed, well edited and has a superb Henry Mancini score that is as good as movie music gets.

"Gunn" is also a very good detective movie with a plot that is far above the average, as good as any Dashal Hammit story.

"Gunn" is also Blake Edwards dress rehearsal for the "Pink Pnather." Using "TV Actors" and in-your-face Mid-60's Los Angelas waterfront locations, Edwards created a low budget film with a high budget look and feel. If it were released today it would easily rival "Pulp Fiction" and "Get Shorty" for box office and critical honors.

If you want to see where "The Pink Panther" came from, or if you want to see what the early 60's in L.A. really looked like, or if you just want to see one of the best detective movies ever made, then take a look at "Gunn."

This spinoff of the iconic 1950s detective television series Peter Gunn emerged from the imprimatur of show creator turned director Blake Edwards and the writing team of Edwards and Bill Blatty (The Exorcist). For the project, Edwards brought series star Craig Stevens back as Gunn, but replaced Herschel Bernardi (as Gunn's superior) with Ed Asner. Paramount greenlit the film, but apparently had such little faith in Gunn as a big screen transposition that execs convinced co-star Sherry Jackson to do a Playboy centerfold spread to boost the movie's prospects. Her topless photos probably sold well but didn't increase ticket sales, and Gunn died at the box office.

Decades later, the movie feels like a missed opportunity on some levels but is still reasonably enjoyable. Stevens delivers a satisfactory performance as the lead but lacks the charisma of a major star, while Asner projects the same gruff intensity that served him well as Lou Grant a few years later. Gunn operates in B-movie country, but its unabashed desire to entertain can be infectious in the right mood. Pauline Kael's old slogan "bang bang, kiss kiss" isn't out of place here - among other pleasures, we get sexy Jackson tempting Gunn into bed ("Make a wish"), gun-wielding thugs crashing in through windows, death threats and mild violence on a racquetball court, and a surreal climactic confrontation in a mirrored room; none of this may exactly be novel, but it keeps the material arresting. There are also a few unexpected throwaway gags that anticipate the farcical Edwards of the '70s and '80s; watch the low-key lunacy that happens, for instance, when Gunn trudges into his kitchen to make himself a coffee. The witty, pseudo-hardboiled dialogue throughout the picture plays like a wry send up of more earnest noir.

Upon release, critics attacked the story of Gunn as confusing, but they were incorrect: the narrative isn't convoluted or challenging to follow, and ends with a refreshingly unpredictable twist. Equally surprising is the degree of onscreen violence, including a bloody finale. Edwards and Blatty were clearly trying to reshape Peter Gunn for movie houses with more "adult" content, but they missed their target in two other respects: the picture's drab telemovie cinematography and its unmemorable lead actor fated it to obscurity.

If Edwards and company had given Gunn higher production values and cast an A-lister like the late Cary Grant or Paul Newman in the lead, the movie would have fared better, because the core elements are here for a superior picture, including an intelligent and serviceable script.

Will someone please find the Master cut of this great film and make it available to the general public?! I saw Gunn in the early 1970's on Television on two different occasions, on the ABC network in New York City. Of course the film was edited for content and to squeeze in the sponsors commercials, so ABC cut out the good stuff. The opening scenes of the couple sleeping on the yacht,then being sprayed with automatic machine gun fire until dead, set the pace for Henry Mancini's Theme song, Peter Gunn. (Peter Gunn's theme song is Much "Cooler than James Bond's folks).I vaguely remember other bits and pieces of the movie, so I would like to view it again, uncut. Can someone please shed some light on what happened to this Cool movie starring Craig Stevens, one of the coolest detectives ever to track a suspect? This movie should have been on Video ages ago. Now it should be on DVD for the world to see. If anyone knows of a way to get a copy of the film in any format, please e-mail the details. Best regards, JD