Partners

A twist is given to the stale conventions of the buddy-cop movie when two detectives, one straight (Ryan O'Neal) and one gay (John Hurt), step out on to the streets of Los Angeles. Hurt had become well known in America for playing Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant and for his simpering sadist Caligula in I, Claudius, so he takes on the role as a gay cop with ease. O'Neal also pretends to be gay for the sake of the plot which involves a murder investigation in the homosexual community. Apart from Hurt there's another Caligula on display - Jay Robinson - who is best remembered for his camp portrayal of the demented emperor in The Robe and Demetrius and the Gladiators.