jameselliot-1 Review of The Girl Hunters

The Girl Hunters (1963)

Mickey Spillane IS Mike Hammer. No argument here.

[6/10 · 27 December 2020]

It's a kick seeing Spillane play his alter-ego years before the Miller beer commercials. Not a kick is the irritating, constant blaring of the Girl Hunters theme whenever Hammer takes a cab or walks to his office, lovingly kept intact while he spent 7 years in an alcoholic haze, emerging in fine physical shape for man who should have no liver. The hot young bikini widow of the murdered senator lives alone in a gigantic mansion that Hammer just walks into, one of the many holes in this film. This being a detective film, Hammer gets conked on the head from behind like every private eye in recorded history. To be fair, Spillane physically looks the part and his performance is adequate but is no stud with the women like Keach or Meeker. His scenes with the nurse and Shirley Eaton are awkward. Lloyd Nolan (formerly PI Michael Shayne in his day) is the Hollywood pro who provides exposition every 20 minutes. That's helpful since Hammer does nothing worthwhile for most of the running time.