Mr. Newman plays a former private eye who lives as a permanent houseguest of a rich, terminally ill friend (Mr. Hackman) and his faded-movie-star wife (Susan Sarandon).

Richter plays Andy Barker, a certified public accountant who reluctantly becomes a private investigator after he is mistaken for the former office tenant, a private eye, now retired.

Mr. Branagh also plays a private eye who is attracted to the amnesiac and introduces her to an antiques dealer (Derek Jacobi) who dabbles in hypnotherapy.

James Garner played a private eye; a gold Firebird was his sidekick.

Nostalgic, maybe, because it remembers when a civilized superstar playing a smart private eye would be nothing out of the ordinary.

"I've always fancied playing a private eye, ever since I saw Jack Nicholson play Jake Gittes in Chinatown."

(In NBC's recast, reworked, rethought "Michael Richards Show," the man who once was Kramer plays a private eye, of all things.)

Janssen plays a private eye who, while investigating a murder, gets emotionally involved with the prime suspect.