P.J. (1968)

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Let's be realistic.

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

I happened to see this movie in it's original release and thought it was terrific. Then years later I caught a network TV showing, and thought I was watching a completely different, and much worse movie. The butchery by the censors was truly breathtaking. Almost every aspect of the film, including most of its more memorable scenes, were deleted and replaced by some other plot that was about something else entirely. Recently I came across a (bootleg) copy of the original uncut film, and it mostly confirmed my positive memory. P.J. is one of the most entertaining action movies of the sixties, and deserves to be seen in its original form. P.J. Detweiler (Peppard) is a former Marine and Korea vet whose career as a private eye is not exactly flourishing - he works out of a New York bar and seems to owe everybody money. Things start to look up when he is hired by super-rich William Orbison (Raymond Burr) as a bodyguard for Orbison's high-priced mistress Maureen (Gayle Hunnicutt). Turns out that Orbison and Maureen are surrounded by a grotesque entourage of relatives and flunkies - who's out to kill whom anyway? After a series of violent and sexy set-pieces, and a side trip to a Caribbean island, P.J. starts to think he is being set up and decides to solve the mystery on his own dime. One of the main reasons the original film has been suppressed is a scene in which one of the characters lures P.J. to a Greenwich Village gay bar ("The Gay Caballero") where he is attacked by a gang of thuggish leather boys. That scene would not be handled the same way today, but it is a fairly small incident in the context of the film. Another of the many scenes deleted or censored in the TV version is the opening credits sequence, in which P.J. participates in a motel-room entrapment of an unfaithful wife. The 6.4 rating here on IMDB is almost certainly skewed by people who saw only the TV version. The original deserves much higher, at least a 7.2. I can't quite call it a classic, but it is without doubt one of the most enjoyable action movies of its era. It's very much a sixties film, filled with bright primary colors, eye-winking sexiness, and tongue-in-cheek humor almost from the James bond mold. Peppard is a very likable hero and makes you wish for the never-made sequel. It's also fun to see Burr revert to his pre-Perry Mason persona as a heavy. You will enjoy this movie - if you can find it, that is.

This is an excellent PI film of the late 60's. George Peppard is perfect in the lead as the classic Private Eye, world weary but basically honest. A Korean War vet who describes that conflict as World War II&1/2. He takes on a job for a ruthless tycoon played by Raymond Burr to protect his truly gorgeous mistress, the ravishing Gayle Hunnicutt, and of course the plot thickens. Great scenes of the old somewhat seedy New York that I grew up in. I loved the description of Red Hook, "by the river, in the river if you're not careful" Nice contrast with the Caribbean locales later on. Well cast with a tight yet witty script and no nonsense direction. I'm surprised that there were no sequels or TV spinoffs. Maybe not so good as the classic " Maddigan" , which deals with New York around the same time, but well worth a look.

I saw this film as New Face In Hell when it was first released and enjoyed it, in fact I saw it over 10 times I thought it was that good. I remember it was very realistic especially in it's depiction of violence. The scene were he gets beaten up in a gay bar and manages to get to the juke box and play an all American record was very daring particularly here in Britain. I thought that George Peppard made an excellent private eye, cleaning up someone else's crap, I think he compares very well with Humphrey Bogart. I haven't seen the film for years and doubt very much if it will ever be shown in it's original release form here in the UK.

This is a film about a smart, irreverent PI who gets pulled into a conspiracy and sorts it out. Excellent script, dialog, and plot.This film, in its theatrical release version, may have been suppressed. There's a fair amount of non-PC gay bashing which could have ruffled some feathers.The film was cleaned up for TV in the mid-70's. It was heavily re-edited, objectionable portions were removed, and possibly there were new scenes shot that were not in the theatrical release -- some of the plot twists are different. The TV version lost much of the punch of the original and is deservedly forgotten.I've been looking for a print/tape/DVD of the theatrical version for years, but I doubt one will ever surface.