Watch a Private Eye Fact-check Detective Movies

In Vulture’s video series, Expert Witness, we ask scientists, historians, and other professionals to give Hollywood movies a good old-fashioned fact-check.

Private eyes are one of Hollywood’s greatest legacies. From the likes stone-cold Philip Marlowe to bumbling clown Gene Parmesan, private detectives have long been a source of drama, comedy, and everything in between. But would a real PI really break through a window to get evidence? Would they really ride a bus to avoid being tailed? We talked to veteran New York City private investigator Michael McKeever to expose some of the biggest movie myths about private eyes.