Hickey & Boggs

It would seem that this film would be banking on residual affection for the action spy series of the sixties, "I SPY", where Culp and Cosby played bright, funny pals that joked and wisecracked their way through the cloak-and-dagger adventures. But here, they make no attempt to revive that devil-may-care camaraderie, and apparently thinking they needed to be taken seriously as action stars, play nothing for laughs. They don't kid around at all, in fact they never even smile or get emotional one way or another. They're sullen and tired and cynical with none of the chemistry that worked so well before.It's not like they're hostile to each other, more like indifference, like somebody you work with, but never have any personal stake in. Maybe they thought these characters would be more realistic, but the fantastic situations are not. Several times big exploding catastrophes take place in what should be very public places, yet no one's around. The plot is convoluted and unexciting. Ifyou went in because you liked Cup and Cosby, you'll be disappointed in this downer.

Robert Culp directed this tough '70s crime flick about two down on thier luck private investigators in LA. Culp and Cosby are miles away from the characters they played in I SPY, but the chemistry is still their. Another note - several prominent actors make early appearances in this film - James Woods, and Michael Moriarty. Vincent Gardenia appears in the cliche role of the put upon, aggravated police contact. Good news - this film is now available on DVD. The company releasing it on DVD is AIP films. Quality of the transfer is mediocre, but it's still worth it to see this underrated film again.

Despite the setting of Southern California and daytime set pieces, this is a very dark film, and presages much of Walter Hill's later work. A good cast, including the great Bill Hickman (a world class stunt driver and distinctive screen presence), it was probably marketed poorly. Movie-goers were led to believe that this "reunion" of TV's popular I SPY co-stars was going to somehow harken back to that glib and serendipitous collaboration. Best line o'the film: after a protracted shoot-out with two sets of adversaries in Los Angeles' famed Coliseum, in which few bullets found their marks, Culp, while reloading his long-barreled S&W .357 Magnum, mutters: "I gotta get a bigger gun."

Still another lost gem from the "Golden 1970's".It ranks right along side "The Long Goodbye" and Night Moves" as a super slice of "Modern Film Noir"-- 70's Los Angeles style.It truly is character driven (Boggs ,looking for clues under a murder victim's kitchen sink, see's a mouse-trap and then a mouse...he unloads the trap.)Yet there are very impressive , deftly staged ,action sequences...-a mid-day shoot-out in an eerily empty L.A. Coliseum and a night-time bullet exchange in a crowded Dodger Stadium parking lot.The Mob, the Cops , Black Militants, Latino Militants, marital problems...These guys(HIckey&Boggs) are in way over their heads and carry their just dusted off guns- in towels, for crying out loud. But they have each other's back and they're gonna "finsh the job". A Classic.

The guys from I, Spy are back and "it" hits the fan. Hickey and Boggs are two long in the tooth private investigators on their last legs, physically and financially. They get a case that seems like a good deal to make a few bucks. Then they uncover some things that the really, really bad guys do not want uncovered. The more the bad guys try to get them off the case the harder they press. Then one of their families is murdered as a warning and they go methodically ballistic. Now they are looking not for information but for some people to kill. Also featured is Bill Hickman, one of Hollywood's most sought after stunt drivers and the driver of the black Charger in "Bullitt." You never saw Bill Cosby portray a quiet family man turned into a methodical, cold blooded killer. Don't miss a chance to see it.

Robert Culp is another example of a first-time director not letting traditional storytelling get in the way of his offbeat style (William Peter Blatty being another), and here he takes a cop thriller/mystery and turns it on its head. Although the editing is incoherent in parts, and the plot is often hard to follow, the characterization of the two leads is more important to the director, and he captures a full-fledged pair of down and out detectives truly memorable in their chemistry. Unlike the endless buddy cop films that have turned the genre into bacteria nowondays, here, every scene with Cosby and Culp is hyper-realistic and not without dry humor and dialogue. Additonally. the last 20 minutes of the film are exciting with a lot of solid action, spewing machine-gun bullets, and the final image that plays over the crawl is unforgettably beautiful. Great theme song.

Fans of neo-noir should take note of Hickey & Boggs, made in 1972. It has a tart and tangy early script from the great Walter Hill and stars Bill Cosby and Robert Culp as two private dicks who are so down on their luck they can't afford to pay their phone bill. The I-Spy duo give excellent performances Bill Cosby is great. This is my favorite Cosby film. Robert Culp, recently deceased,also directed, and he shows a very sure hand behind the camera. I was quite surprised by the quality of this film after hearing about it for a number of years. Hickey & Boggs has a gritty downbeat vibe and it feels more desperate and low-rent and real than most private detective movies. A forgotten gem from the 70s.This is certainly one of my favorite films.