Hammett main backdrop
Hammett main poster

6.2/10 • 68

1982-06-091h 38m

DramaThriller

He created "The Maltese Falcon," "Sam Spade" and "The Thin Man." But he didn't write this mystery thriller...he lived it.

Chinatown, San Francisco, 1928. Former private detective Dashiell Hammett, a compulsive drinker with tuberculosis who writes pulp fiction for a living, receives an unexpected visit from an old friend asking for help.

Directors
Wim Wenders
Editors
Janice Hampton

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Frederic Forrest

    Frederic Forrest

    Hammett

  2. Peter Boyle

    Peter Boyle

    Jimmy Ryan

  3. Marilu Henner

    Marilu Henner

    Kit Conger / Sue Alabama

  4. Roy Kinnear

    Roy Kinnear

    English Eddie Hagedorn

  5. Lydia Lei

    Lydia Lei

    Crystal Ling

  6. Elisha Cook Jr.

    Elisha Cook Jr.

    Eli the Taxi Driver

  7. David Patrick Kelly

    David Patrick Kelly

    The Punk

  8. R.G. Armstrong

    R.G. Armstrong

    Lt. O'Mara

  9. Richard Bradford

    Richard Bradford

    Detective Bradford

Reviews1

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John Chard Avatar

John Chard

Aug 17, 2015

7/10

She's a disaster. Hammett is a fictional story about the great writer Dashiell Hammett (played by Frederic Forrest). The story finds the writer retired from the Pinkerton Detectice Agency and nursing bad lungs and a taste for the liquor. When old colleague Jimmy Ryan (Peter Boyle) comes a calling, Hammett finds himself down in Frisco's Chinatown district in it up to his neck in muck and grime. The back story to the production of Hammett is long and disappointing, all of which makes for fascinating reading and available at the click of a mouse. The film we have to view now may not be the one originally envisaged by director Wim Wenders, but on repeat viewings it shows itself to be a very loving homage to the halcyon days of film noir, a film of great technical craft and guile. Though not without issues either... Production value is high, the set design that brings late 1920s Frisco to life is a joy, as is Joseph Biroc's luscious colour photography. John Barry provides a musical score that smoothly floats around the Gin Joints and Alleyways, while costuming is on the money. Cast are led superbly by the under valued Forrest, with Marilu Henner (Biroc lights her so well), Boyle and Lydia Lei striking the requisite film noir chords, while a host of cameos and short order roles will have the keen of eye putting names to the faces from similar films of yesteryear. The story is complex, which is purposely complimented by narration, canted angles, slatted shadows, billowing smoke, and of course a number of venues that all anti-heroic detectives must traverse to unravel the mystery bubbling away under the seamy surface. The problems are evident of course, it's a very uneven picture, the re-writes etc leaving a disappointing mark. It's also like watching a performance at the theatre, akin to watching a play, the predominantly stage bound shoot - and the almost forced delivery of lines - makes it synthetic. But ultimately there's a lot of noir love here, enough to ensure that repeat viewings for those of that persuasion should find themselves rewarded for their time. 7/10

Media

  • Hammett poster
  • Hammett poster
  • Hammett poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
based on novel or booksan francisco, californiachinatownhistorical figurefemme fataleneo-noir1920scrime fiction writersemi-fiction