See No Evil, Hear No Evil

An uncommonly interminable comedy, See No Evil, Hear No Evil details the chaos that ensues after two strangers – one deaf (Gene Wilder’s Dave) and one blind (Richard Pryor’s Wally – stumble upon a murder and are immediately accused of the crime. Complicating matters are the increasingly persistent advances of the two criminals (Joan Severance’s Eve and Kevin Spacey’s Kirgo) actually responsible for the death, with the bulk of the narrative following Dave and Wally as they attempt to clear their names and bring the killers to justice. It’s clear right from the get-go that See No Evil, Hear No Evil is completely and utterly devoid of interesting, competent elements, as the movie, which kicks off with a series of hopelessly unfunny jokes involving Dave and Wally’s respective disabilities, suffers from an almost total lack of momentum that’s compounded by desperate, incongruously broad performances by its stars. The mystery at the heart of the movie’s hastily-assembled narrative is a total non-starter, and it’s clear, too, that the action-packed third act ensures that the film’s final stretch could hardily be more ill-advised (or interminable) – with the end result a fairly abominable misfire that has little to offer even the most die-hard Wilder and Pryor fan.

1/2* out of ****