Der Schnüffler

Promising blend of hard-boiled crime flick and campy detective yarn that doesn't quite go the distance. Pulpy plot features a gaggle of cartoony characters and Frank Sinatra at his wiseass best playing Florida private dick wrapped up in convoluted mystery centering on millionaire's daughter (Sue Lyon). Terrific supporting cast includes Gena Rowlands (looking lovely), Jill St. John (at her slinky, sexy best), Simon Oakland and Richard Conte, but the plot runs out of gas somewhere in the second act. A bit stronger than its immediate sequel, "Lady in Cement", and Sinatra's panache is definitely worth checking out. After getting out of a rickety elevator, he tells the female operator, "Nice riiide." **1/2 from ****

The best reason for watching this film is to use it to transport yourself back to the 1960's, and experience that period from the perspective of a 50's Rat Pack star.

This is not a great movie by today's standards, but as a child of the 60's and 70's myself, I can say that this movie does take you back to a time when America had a completely different environment, and mindset. The character portrayed by Sinatra, and the dialogue in general, presents a good example of what the typical American Male thought of as "cool" in the early 60's.

True, it's not what we find entertaining today, but that's not why I like to watch old movies. I watch old films because they have an extraordinary ability to take you to a time when the world, and people in general, had a very different view of things and also what was fashionable at that time.

You must be a fan of 60's movies to like this flick. Negative comments about this movie are negative comments about 60's movies in general.

Tony Rome is an ex-cop, current private dick who is hired by a family to find there missing jewels. Rather unique things happen, the movie is over, and you are either a bigger Sinatra fan, or at the same level.

My advice is to imagine you are sitting in a 1967 Olds 442 at the drive in, and the rest will take care of itself.

This is an interesting and very modern detective film. Frank Sinatra plays the title role--a private detective who seems very cool and disaffected. Of the three detective shows he made in the late 60s, I'd rate this one #2--behind the superior film "The Detective". However, this exceptional film is not related to "Tony Rome" or its sequel "The Lady in Cement". Regardless, Sinatra's world-weary performances were excellent--even if he seemed to try to make it look like he's not trying.

The film begins with Tony doing what seems like a very mundane and not at all dangerous task--bringing home a drunk young lady to her rich daddy (Simon Oakland). Oddly, however, this good deed ended up leading to an apparently minor task--to find the young lady's missing earring. And, this task led to murder...in fact, a LOT of murders and mayhem. By late 60s standards, this film is awfully violent and Tony isn't exactly always the macho hero. Although he generally gets the best of it, he, too, gets the crap knocked out of him a few times in this rough and tumble film.

As I said, I preferred Sinatra's "The Detective", but not by much. "Tony Rome" is a very good private eye film--a bit like a grittier version of "The Rockford Files"...minus most of the laughs. It's also odd that Tony is NOT the perfect manly sort of hero--especially since he repeatedly shows a stronger desire to wrap up the case than unwrap the very alluring Jill St. John--who spends much of the movie pursuing Tony. A very good film--especially since the mystery turns out to be a very interesting one. Worth your time.

By the way, a couple interesting parts in the film are a cameo by the ex-champ Rocky Graziano as well as a VERY unusual sort of role for the comic Shecky Greene. Also, I just loved Tony's line "This is not a family. Just a bunch of people living at the same address." Priceless and indicative of the sort of smart-allecky stuff he tosses about during the film.

If you haven't seen this don't worry it's on cable almost every week. Whenever I realize I haven't seen it in a while it comes on again. This is a really fun movie, much better then the sequel "Lady in Cement", my friend and I were really disappointed in the sequel that we couldn't wait to see. Anyway Sinatra plays a local Private Eye, sort of a Rockford Files without the trailer, Sinatra is in a houseboat. After a local rich girl ends up in a broken down motel and her pin is missing, Sinatra is hired by her father(the great Simon Oakland) to find out who stole her jewerly. This was filmed on location so you really get to see 1960's Miami, it's fun just for that. Gena Rowlands stars as Oaklands wife, Jeannie Cooper the soap star is married to Gena's ex, Joe E. Lewis of Car 54 fame is a bartender and it also includes a lot of other 1960s character actor regulars(watch for Joan Shawlee as "Fat Candy", she was one of my favorites in "The Apartment", the girl Jack Lemmon spends christmas eve in a bar with. Keep an eye on AMC or TCM, they seem to run it the most