The Private Eye Blu Ray Review (Glass House Distribution)

The Private Eye is a 2024 mystery comedy film co-written and directed by Jack Cook (The Elevator, The Test, and Easel). It was co-written by Hope Ayiyi (Switch and Shootouts), Rosalinda Books (Wicked Hello Lady and The Perfectionist Hairstylist), and Patrick Roe. It was produced by Tom Malloy (The Alphabet Killer, Trauma Therapy, Hero of the Underworld, Shattered, Lansky, and Screamers) and 13 others. It had an estimated budget of $1,000,000. Private Eye Mort Madison (played by: Matt Rife from Wild ‘N Out, Burb Patrol, Don’t Suck, Murder at Hollow Creek, and That ’90s Show) is having some issues lately and all these video store robberies have been keeping him busy. Mort’s life and dangerous work start spiraling downward when a familiar woman Michelle (played by: Clare Grant from Changeland, Walk the Line, Masters of Horror, Black Snake Moan, and Robot Chicken) hires him for one of his most unusual cases in his entire career!!!! I kinda figured The Private Eye would have been a little bigger and more known despite it’s smaller budget since it stars one of the most popular stand up comedians Matt Rife. It switches up from black and white to color which is an interesting style choice for the independent production. The script keeps a solid balance of mystery and humor plus some added twists. Matt Rife is funny when it comes to his comedy specials. From what I seen, he hasn’t done that much acting yet and it definitely shows when it comes to The Private Eye. He’s just okay as the lead character Mort Madison. Clare Grant as Michelle actually elevates Rife’s performance when they share the screen together. She’s one of the best things about this funny noir film. Veteran actor Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight) steals the show as Edmond. His role is smaller in The Private Eye but he really stands out in this. He always gives it his all no matter what the project is. The rest of the supporting cast includes Jay Reeves (The Tax Collector), Erik Griffin (Workaholics), Eugenia Kuzmina (The Gentlemen), Denzel Whitaker (Training Day), Lexy Panterra (Nightmare Cinema), Petri Hawkins Byrd (Judge Judy), Jack Kalian (The Outpost), and Elliot (Deadwood: The Movie). There’s more than a few fascinating and wacky characters when it comes this tension filled universe. It has several references and easter eggs that pay tribute to cinema which is always cool for something like this. It’s more on the tame side for it’s R Rating. I was expecting more violence and maybe some sleaze. Regardless, The Private Eye is still solid and I do respect that it tries to be different with it’s approach. Once all hell breaks loose, it stays very entertaining for the rest of it. I would check this out again!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation from Glass House Distribution! This 1080p (1:78.1) transfer surprised me, it’s a very visual production. They mix it up with an old school look for the flashbacks and it’s more modern with the present day scenarios. It has a English: Dolby Digital 5.1 track. The audio is solid for this low budget noir. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the mystery is elevated, and the music has a nice boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. Unfortunately, there’s no special features on this blu ray. This is a M.O.D (BD-R) home video release. It’s available everywhere right now including MovieZyng.com, CHECK IT OUT!!!!