Such a frustrating disappointment

Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

Disapointment

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Humphrey Bogart is my favorite classic film actor; actually he's my favorite actor altogether. "The Maltese Falcon" is right up there on my list of Bogey favorites, so having that one under your belt probably gives you a leg up on the stuff going on in 'Bogart's Face'. Most of the references are right out there, like the 'Eyes of Alexander' sapphires in place of that evil black bird. But there are subtler ones as well, like Sam Marlow (Robert Sacchi) hiding a note in the bedpost, in an aside to "Casablanca". Even some of the characters parallel the greats - Buono for Greenstreet, and Lom for Lorre, but the depth of the talent doesn't carry on down the line. As the two detectives tailing Marlow and the gems, Richard Bakalyan and Gregg Palmer don't have the personality to parry with Marlow the way Barton MacLane and Ward Bond did in the original. As for Sacchi, he's a credit to Bogart and his mannerisms, and if you're watching a slightly fuzzy VHS copy of the film, there are a few scenes where he's a complete dead ringer. But he did overdo it with the facial grimace; Bogart did it for emphasis and effect. Sacchi just does it, all the time, and it gets a bit tedious. Still, you can have some fun with this one, Bogart fan or not. My recommendation - play it Sam, play it one time.

This movie is a very enjoyable homage to the Bogart and other detective films of old. Robert Sacchi nails it as Bogie and Michelle Phillips is a truly timeless beauty as Gena Anastas. However, the most noteworthy portion of this film involves the longest belly dancing scene ever produced in a Hollywood film. One well-known professional instructor commented that nothing else in cinema comes close for dance excitement. The scene, which ends up being an important part of the plot, occurs in a lushly beautiful Middle Eastern nightclub and is by all accounts mesmerizing. The pulsating music, the swirling veils and ringing finger cymbals, free-flowing undulations and beautiful costumes - and a surprise twist involving the seductive Sybil Danning - build tension and excitement until the very end. The three talented and beautiful professional nightclub dancers are led by exotic brunette beauty Kamala Almanzar, one of the US' leading belly dancers since the mid-1970s. She was hand-picked by famed Armenian musician Guy Chookoorian to travel with his orchestra on the road. Guy's ensemble is the live band that the dancers perform to in the scene. If you watch the trailer on this site, you will see a glimpse of Kamala (playing the finger cymbals behind Sybil Danning). If you're not yet a fan of belly dancing, you will be after watching this movie, and if you're an aficionado, it holds up very well after repeated viewing.

Sacchi is the best Bogart impersonator ever... dry and droll as Sam Marlowe. The music from award winning composer George Duning [From Here To Eternity, Picnic, The World of Suzie Wong], the cinematography of perfect locations [including the famous Ambassador Hotel] are all right on target as famous tv director Robert Day [Kojak, Streets of San Francisco, The Avengers] guides the most endearing group of well-known character actors through a spoof of every dark detective film every made. See this if you loved all the old serious flicks and have a sense of humor... this one is a hoot.

If you like Bogart, you will enjoy this film thoroughly. I only wish it was on video so I could buy it! Very nostalgic. Very Bogart...as he was in his Ace Private-Dick days as Sam Spade/Philip Marlowe.