Fletch - Chevy Chase

Fletch is a 1985 American comedy thriller film directed by Michael Ritchie and written by Andrew Bergman. Based on Gregory Mcdonald's popular Fletch novels, the film stars Chevy Chase as the title character. It co-stars Tim Matheson, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Geena Davis and Joe Don Baker.

Los Angeles Times undercover reporter Irwin M. "Fletch" Fletcher (who writes as "Jane Doe") is writing an article exposing drug trafficking on the beaches of Los Angeles. While posing as an addict, he is approached by Boyd Aviation executive vice president Alan Stanwyk, who assumes Fletch is a real junkie. Stanwyk claims to have bone cancer with only months left to live, and wishes to avoid the suffering. Claiming suicide would nullify his expensive life insurance policy but murder wouldn't, Stanwyk offers $50,000 for Fletch to kill him at his mansion in a few days' time, stage the scene as a burglary, then flee to Rio de Janeiro.

Fletch, not completely convinced of the truth of Stanwyk's story, agrees to the plan. Along with his colleague Larry, he begins investigating Stanwyk instead of completing his drug exposé, much to the chagrin of his editor Frank Walker. Disguised as a doctor, Fletch goes to the hospital where he accesses Stanwyk's medical records and learns he does not have cancer.

Fletch visits Stanwyk's wife Gail at her tennis club. Pretending to be Stanwyk's friend, he flirts with her. Looking into Stanwyk's finances, Fletch finds that Gail recently converted $3 million of her personal stock in Boyd Aviation into cash for her husband, to buy a ranch in Provo, Utah. Fletch travels to Provo and breaks into the realtor's office and discovers the sale price was only $3,000.

Meanwhile, Police Chief Jerry Karlin learns of Fletch's drug report. He warns Fletch that the article will jeopardize his supposed undercover operation on the beach. Karlin threatens to kill Fletch unless he agrees to drop the investigation.

At the tennis club, Fletch witnesses arrogant club member Ted Underhill shouting at a waiter, and decides as revenge to use Underhill's tab to treat Gail to an expensive lunch in her private cabana. Fletch reveals Stanwyk's murder scheme to her and tells her the true price of the ranch. He convinces her to let him continue his investigation.

Fletch watches Stanwyk making a suspicious briefcase exchange with Chief Karlin, but is unable to deduce the nature of their meeting. When he is chased by several police officers lying in wait at his apartment, Fletch goes into hiding, returning to Provo. Posing as an insurance investigator, he interviews Stanwyk's parents Marvin and Velma, learning that Stanwyk has been married to another woman named Sally Anne for eight years; his bigamous marriage to Gail allowed him access to her vast wealth.

Fletch arrives at Stanwyk's mansion on the night of the planned murder, but finds Stanwyk waiting to kill him instead. Fletch reveals he is a reporter, and that he has already deduced Stanwyk's real plan to fake his own death by killing Fletch (who has a similar physical build to Stanwyk's) and burning his body beyond recognition, then escaping to Brazil with Sally Anne, taking Gail's $3 million. Stanwyk was also using his private jet to smuggle drugs from South America to supply Chief Karlin, who blackmailed ex-convicts Fat Sam and Gummy to distribute it on the beaches. Karlin arrives unexpectedly; learning of Stanwyk's intention to flee with nearly $1 million of the Chief's drug money, Karlin shoots and kills Stanwyk. Karlin and Fletch then fight over the gun until Gail strikes Karlin from behind with a tennis racket, rendering him unconscious.

Karlin is indicted after the publication of Fletch's article, with testimony from Fat Sam and Gummy. Fletch begins dating Gail, taking her to Rio on Stanwyk's tickets and using Underhill's American Express Card.