A Lovely Way to Die

Douglas as a tough New York cop who turns in his badge after being ticked off for roughing up a crook or two in the cause of justice. He is promptly hired as a private eye by a lawyer friend (Wallach) who has a pretty client (Koscina) accused of murdering her wealthy husband and in need of protection. The attraction is very mutual, and soon Douglas is busy warding off assorted thuggish intruders with one hand, while romancing the lady with the other. A lumbering mixture of screwball romantic comedy and tortuously-plotted thriller, trying desperately to be 'with it' (lots of swinging New Wave stylistics), it relies on a relentlessly jolly score to keep things going and avoid flying off in all directions at once.