Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

AlanSquier Yeah, pals, I'll bet this is a dream of many writers, to portray his or her favorite character on the screen. I imagine Agatha Christy would have loved to portray Miss Marple, and Dashell Hammett possibly would have picked The Continental Op to portray.That off my chest, I feel kindly toward this film and was glad for the opportunity to see Spillane as Hammer. I can't say he was terribly good, but one can at least say that his portrayal was interesting, and I don't mean that as a put-down.It was also good as always to see Lloyd Nolan still around and adding to the film. This sure isn't the best Mike Hammer film, but I found it worth a look and imagine you will too.

david david While never in the class of 'Kiss Me, Deadly', or even the original version of 'I, The Jury', 'The Girl Hunters' is an enjoyable detective movie featuring a surprisingly convincing portrayal of Mike Hammer by his creator Mickey Spillane. The film is well shot, mostly well acted and has a storyline that keeps you interested till the end. What lets it down is the intrusive and repetitive music and endless shots of Spillane/Hammer walking in and out of buildings/offices while putting on or taking off his trench coat. After a while both these elements become irritating, but not irritating enough to make you want to stop watching. Spillane is a suitably rough around the edges Hammer and is well supported by Lloyd Nolan as a helpful FBI agent and by the gorgeous Shirley Eaton as the only female character in the picture, the widow of a murdered senator. My personal favourite Mike Hammer film is the first version of 'I, The Jury' with Biff Elliott as Hammer. That film is pure noir and Elliott is excellent in the role. 'The Girl Hunters' tries hard and almost gets there, but noir was past it's sell by date and the old masters of the genre were mostly gone. This film gives a good facsimile and is very watchable, but do not expect 'The Big Sleep'.

RanchoTuVu Mike Hammer (Mickey Spillane) is found drunk and passed out by a police cruiser in an alley; he's taken to excessive drinking since the abduction of his girlfriend and secretary Velma, and is no good to himself or anyone else. Given a second chance and a new license to carry his cannon like .45 by new-found friend and FBI agent Rickerby (Lloyd Nolan) he sets out to find Velma and in the process meets the beautiful Laura Knapp (Shirley Eaton) who he first sees in her bikini as she's getting a suntan on an inflated raft in her pool. She makes a good femme fatale and has a neat seduction scene with him in her dark living room one night. Rickerby puts Hammer on the trail of "The Dragon" (Larry Taylor) a Soviet killer who might be connected to Velma's disappearance as well. The plot is difficult to follow, names are tossed out, and the viewer's job is to try and connect the dots. The pace is all right, directed by veteran Roy Rowland, and Spillane, though he isn't Olivier, grows on you as the film heads into a surprisingly violent ending.

Poseidon-3 Here is an unusual approach to a movie. The subject, Mike Hammer, is an All-American creation; a big city, hard-nosed private detective. Yet this film is made by British hands and features many British actors playing American (or in several cases, Americans who were living in England at the time.) Then there's the matter of the casting of the lead role. Instead of casting an experienced, name brand actor, the role was given to the creator of the character, author Spillane! All of this doesn't mean that the film isn't any good (though it isn't distinctly great either), but it's certainly unusual. Spillane plays the famed gumshoe who's been mourning the death of his devoted secretary by wallowing in booze. Old comrade (and Police Captain) Peters hauls him in to help question a shooting victim who says he'll only speak to Spillane. After some rough and tumble convincing, Spillane chats with the dying man only to find out that the beloved secretary may be alive after all these years! Spillane recovers from acute alcoholism with nary a headache and sets out to uncover the mystery of the missing lady. Along the way, he comes into contact with newspaper columnist Gardner (continuing the verisimilitudinous trend, he was one in real life as well), FBI agent Nolan, bar owner Farrell and curvy, bleach-blonde widow Eaton. Finally, he must engage in a knock-down, drag-out fight with an assassin and then face down the mastermind behind the whole convoluted plot. The film has decent, crisp, black and white photography and an emphatic (often overly-emphatic) musical score. It also has endless, meandering shots of Spillane walking, walking, walking to and fro up the streets of the city and driving, driving, driving in and out of the city. If all this was cut, the film would instantly take on a tighter, more effective pace. Spillane lacks the skill and charisma to truly tackle a leading role like this (it's also sometimes hard to swallow him as a chick magnet!) However, what he lacks in acting talent, he more than makes up for in authenticity and understanding of the character. He's like a less-effective Aldo Ray, but he does excel in the fight scenes and in some of the big mouthed repartee sequences. Eaton is deliciously sexy, though she struggles noticeably with an attempted American accent. She has a designer credited with her gowns, but she's seen most often in an array of skimpy (especially for the time) bikinis! (What's with her compulsion to swim 24/7 anyway?) Peters isn't bad, if a bit one note, and Nolan is very solid, as usual, as the worldly and weary agent. The film is stark and brutal, never more so than when Spillane has to take on the threatening and rather hard-to-pin-down (so to speak) assassin. It's more of a curio than a meaningful film (and it's predictable in it's outcome), but remains watchable anyway. The biggest disappointment of it is not so much it's amateurish lead actor but the fact that it doesn't even bother to properly resolve it's most key plot point! (It's no treat watching Spillane gnash Eaton during the love scene either!)