It was his birthday, and this is one of our least seen of his films. It's a beautiful film, considering it's about a pimp in Singapore - a sort of Rick in Casablanca character, a friend to everyone. As such you have to love Ben Gazzara, who infuses the character with warmth, melancholy, weariness, humour - he worked on the script with Peter out in Singapore, where they made friends with several prostitutes who became extras, and the money they earned allowed them to escape home.
It was also lovely to see one of his great films with the added treat that he himself plays a significant role in it - let's not forget Peter was initially an actor, and remained - if I may say so - a rather good one.
Denholm Elliott is marvellous as an accountant who Ben befriends - at the end you're left wondering whether that friendship was more significant than even the man's marriage (it's a subtle screenplay, derived from Paul Theroux's novel, which Ben and Peter rewrote substantially when on location).
With James Villiers, Joss Ackland, Rodney Bewes, Mark Kingston (a disreputable bunch of ex-pat Brits if ever I saw one), Lisa Lu (briefly, from The Arch - she's also an associate producer), Monika Subramaniam, Judy Lim, George Lazenby.
Nimbly photographed by Robby Müller.
Peter's thrillery scenes are as well done as his comedy.
Warning: features sinister, high-waisted Chinese types.
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