vespatian75
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.
pipo63
Why hell Universal Pictures does not release P.J. in DVD ? Does this film studio forgot this movie as one of the best thriller ever made in the 60' and 70' ? I saw "Syndicat du meurtre" (french title) only one time 35 years ago, on the 1st french TV channel, black and white broadcasting! So that my memories are black and white and that's perfect for this kind of movies (Can you imagine Asphalt Jungle in Technicolor?) As said in an other comment, P.J. is at the same level as Paul Newman's Harper, Sinatra's Tony Rome or Widmark's Madigan. This movie was really modern for the time, and I really miss it has been let beside as long as mediocre movies block video shop shelves. And never proposed on VOD either. That's too bad...
pendoc-1
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.
Palomar68
This Private Eye drama, set mostly in New York City in 1968, is an above-average film which is largely (and unfortunately) passed over by both network television and the movie rental industry. The low-key acting by Mr. Peppard is superb; indeed, he is probably at his best in this gritty PI flick which takes one from the dark subway stations of 1968 New York, to the glamour of a Carribean island, and back again. All the while, there is fantastic music, from the opening score to the recurring theme of "P.J." Raymond Burr is interesting and convincing as William Orbison, a rich, arrogant, scheming tycoon who hires P.J. Detweiler (Peppard) to protect his mistress Maureen Preble (Gayle Hunnicutt), but whom we always suspect of having other, darker motives. Coleen Grey, in a somewhat lesser role, is excellent as Orbison's bitter, scornful wife. Overall a very good, well acted drama, with plot twists, catchy music, and of course, a bit of Peppard's trademark dry humour.
