Hammett

source: Hammett

Trailer—Hammett

Hammett

This movie is a tribute to Dashiell Hammet who was the first U.S. author who " got out the novel of investigation far from away the familial saloons" before Chandler. He was an agent of the Pinkerton Agency, then, bored by this work, he wrote a lot of novels of investigation. Wim Wenders offers a tribute to his memory as beautiful the Hammet's novels were. He was alcoholic for it was necessary to drinck and write like, after him, the gentlemen Chandler. More over Hammet was brave during the Mac Carty times. He refused to invoque the fifth amendement: then he was a prisoner during one year.The film is showing to us the way of the Hammet's heroes used to live and die in San Francisco in order to defend the poor people of this town. The French Author in poetry, Aragon, introduce D. Hammet in Europe in 1936.

Wim Wenders did an excellent job with this movie. The only possible difference with the old classics is that the film is filmed in colour. The sets recreates amazingly the atmosphere of the real film noir. The story and the acting works on the same good level, and special mention to th excellent music score of John Barry. I would like to highlight the fact of the movie also shows the personal life of Hammett: his humble apartment, his neighborhood, his alcohol problems, his girlfriend....which makes the story believable. Not just for film noir lovers, but for people who loves cinema in general.

The novel writer Dashiell Hammett is involved in the investigation of the mysterious disappearance of a beautiful Chinese cabaret actress in San Francisco. Who would have thought that Wim Wenders had in him one of the all-time great American detective films? Not me, that's for sure. And yet, here it is with some great characters and plenty of those intriguing twists and turns we love. And Peter Boyle! The setting of San Francisco as opposed to New York or Los Angeles (or Chicago) was a good choice, and of course allows for the Chinatown subplot. Surprisingly, this does not seem to be a common plot element in detective films (besides, of course, "Chinatown").

'Hammett' is an excellent case of Zoetrope Studios, utilizing Coppola's unusual electronic-soundstage method of production (which would be further refined in his seldom-seen 'One From the Heart,' also with Frederick Forrest). In certain respects the film is like Paul Schrader's 'Mishima,' also based on a literary figure, with a seamless interweaving with the author's fictional characters along with thw writer's real life. Watch 'Hammett' and try to sort out the various strains that pop up in different films based on his work, notably the 'Maltese Falcon.' Elijah Cooke is one of the stars of the 1982 Wenders film. Don't forget the music, the soundstage decor with the recreation of late 1920's San Francisco, and the general mood that makes 'Hammett' a worthy entry to anyone list of must-see noir films.

This film is a fine example of the classic mystery film, such as The Maltese Falcon, updated in color. Rich atmosphere surrounds all the characters. The cast, including Frederic Forrest, Peter Boyle, Marilu Henner!, Elisha Cook, Lydia Lei, do well. It's not perfect, but certain worth a looksee on a dark, foggy night. A solid 9 from me.

HAMMETT was one of the first books I read for pleasure back in college and I recall anxiously awaiting how it was going to be Zeotroped on screen... visually the movie reminded me of a large single set production (like 1937's DEAD END)... it's almost as if somebody like Bill Gates took a film class and decided to adapt the book as his final. Large plot chunks are missing from the book (notably a car chase and a baseball bat murder) but this movie was so unique (in those pre-Joel and Ethan Cohen days) that I remember it looking like a strange painting even after 20+ years. Forrest is a terrific under-rated actor and was a perfect choice for Dash. You won't be wasting your time checking HAMMETT out but the book has it beat. 8/10.

When a young Chinese woman by the name of "Cristal Ling" (Lydia Lei) goes missing in San Francisco a retired detective turned novelist named "Samuel Dashiell Hammett" (Frederic Forrest) agrees to attempt to find her. However, he soon begins to realize that there is much more to this missing person's case than his private detective friend "Jimmy Ryan" (Peter Boyle) initially told him. And the fact that even the police advise him to steer clear is even more cause for caution and concern. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was an interesting mystery film which benefited greatly from the 1920's backdrop. Likewise, the twists and turns along the way which continued on to the very finish certainly helped to a great degree as well. Admittedly, it could have used a bit more action and suspense but even so I enjoyed this film overall and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.