"Wise Guys" is probably the least regarded movie that Brian De Palma has ever made. After the financial failure of "Body Double", but before his blockbuster "Untouchables", this flat little comedy is an attempt to regain some clout and profit for the studios.
A gangster comedy in the vein of "The Freshman" (Brando) or "Analyse This" (De Niro), "Wise Guys" revolves around two friends who bumble from one silly situation to the next as they "try to make it big". There are traces of "Abbot and Costello" and traces of the "Two Stooges" (De Palma names numerous characters after each troupe), but the comedy feels dated and needs more wit. Worse still, "Wise Guys" finds De Palma reigning back all his better instincts, the film devoid of the flamboyant camera work which so defines the rest of the director's filmography.
5/10- Worth no viewings.
A gangster comedy in the vein of "The Freshman" (Brando) or "Analyse This" (De Niro), "Wise Guys" revolves around two friends who bumble from one silly situation to the next as they "try to make it big". There are traces of "Abbot and Costello" and traces of the "Two Stooges" (De Palma names numerous characters after each troupe), but the comedy feels dated and needs more wit. Worse still, "Wise Guys" finds De Palma reigning back all his better instincts, the film devoid of the flamboyant camera work which so defines the rest of the director's filmography.
5/10- Worth no viewings.