Melody Santangello in Shamus (1973)

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It’s hard to imagine today the star power of quintessential 1970s lady-killer man’s man Burt Reynolds in his prime, or that he had earned and deserved his thunderous box-office acclaim. Shamus (1973) is a diverting detective flick that hinges its appeal on Burt’s aw-shucks style of ruggedly handsome movie starring. Although capable of subtle and committed nuance as a performer, Reynolds’s power lay in being more than an actor. His casual charisma is equally compelling whether he is winning a fist fight, losing a fist fight or putting the wise guy moves on suitably smitten Dyan Cannon. He could be any one of us, or one of our friends. If we were just a bit better looking, a tad more chiseled in the physique and employed slightly brighter writers to pen our repartee.