on 1/6/2026, 12:42 pm
That might be a violation of the 4th Amendment, but in an age when the assaults on seemingly everything are rampant, a sendup of what is arguably harmless set of tropes might be a welcome diversion.
From the review--
With The Dummy Detective, [director Rob] Margolies and his crew capture the convoluted and pulpy nature of a noir murder-mystery. It helps that Geffner wrote a script with the key aspects of noir. He utilizes introspective psychology, adultery, the chameleon nature of a femme fatale, interwoven backstories, and black comedy. All these elements blend with the absurdity of ventriloquist dummies. This film will absolutely entertain fans of film noir.*
Geffner gets the language, tone, and archetypes of this genre right. I was impressed with the confrontation scene between Trillo and Black; it delved into the fatalistic elements with ease. Fatalism has been a key part of noir, as seen in classics like Murder My Sweet and Somewhere in the Night. The film concludes with a subtle tribute to Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity.
Another review can be found here--
https://theindependentcritic.com/movie_review__the_dummy_detective
This appears to have gone straight to streaming and is available at Amazon Primw for $1.99. That's a price that might even entice that notorious skinflint ChiBob!
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*With a few possible exceptions! ;-)
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