hwgrayson Review of The Private Eyes

The Private Eyes (1980)

"If you don't know where you're going you shouldn't be in the lead"

[3/10 · 10 February 2024]

Two Scotland Yard detectives try solve the murders of Lord and Lady Morley. I was impressed with the Biltmore Estate location for the film... and that was about it. Most reviewers are very positive about the movie but with all deference to them I thought it was singularly unfunny and didn't laugh once. No, that's not quite true. I did chuckle at the pigeon through the closed window gag. Our main protagonists Inspector Winship and Dr. Tart soon became tedious and the film thus became a marathon as it rambled on and on and on. Talented performers like Grace Zabriskie and Bernard Fox were ill used by the script, co-written by Tim Conway who was also Dr. Tart. The mystery wasn't much of a mystery either. I like comedies that make me laugh but rightly or wrongly this one didn't.