Raymond Chandler's wry, snaky private eye thriller's been adapted by David Zelag Goodman but remains firmly in period; no doubt the producers (the British company ITC) were chasing the success of Chinatown, though lack that film's budget or style; David Shire's score is emulative (if that is a word), and it even shares the same cameraman (John Alonzo). The Godfather's Dean Tavoularis is the production designer.
Robert Mitchum is suitably weary in the part of the private eye, Jack O'Halloran somewhat wooden as 'Moose' Malloy (I wouldn't say that within earshot, naturally). Charlotte Rampling is suitably slutty but lacks the true femme fatale aura. With John Ireland, Sylvia Miles (Oscar nominated), Harry Dean Stanton, Anthony Zerbe, Sylvester Stallone and - way down the cast - as 'woman in ballroom' (the chatty one, I guess) none other than Joan Shawlee.
It works well enough, and makes explicit what the forties version would only be able to allude to. Good ending.
Interestingly, the Judge's mansion was Greenacres, Harold Lloyd's former home, which also features in Shampoo. Though Lloyd left it to the public as a museum, he didn't leave any money to fund its upkeep. It was sold in 1975 and demolished the next year to make 15 separate houses.
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