A separated private detective, Harper (Paul Newman), is hired to find a missing millionaire who everyone seems happy to have lost. The investigation reveals a probable kidnapping and numerous suspects. In the end, Harper finds the missing man and the people responsible.
Along the way, this William Goldman-scripted neo-noir introduces many twists and characters, only some of which are effective. Newman is brimming with attitude as Harper and presents an interesting take on how to update the hardboiled 1940s detectives to the swinging 1960s. Interesting, but not completely convincing (for that, we have to wait for Elliott Gould (of all people!) in 1973’s The Long Goodbye). The supporting cast is rich and makes significant contributions. Lauren Bacall, present for reference (The Big Sleep) as much as for talent, is actually quite good as the falsely grieving, paralyzed widow. Pamela Tiffin is suitably annoying as his daughter and provides a potential romantic interest for Newman that never develops. Shelley Winters is great as an overweight alcoholic who Newman uses to get information about the case. Others are less successful, notably Janet Leigh as Harper’s estranged wife. They reconnect in the middle of the film for no obvious reason and then he leaves her again to finish the case and it simply doesn’t work as narrative or as theme.
I suppose the films hanging over Harper the strongest are actually the James Bond films. It strikes me as an effort to redefine the British agent as an American. The fact that he is not a police officer and in fact holds them in contempt captures some of the counter-culture zeitgeist, but Harper is still recognizably American. A sub-plot involving Los Angeles religious cults raises the idea of Charles Manson and the major changes that American culture was about to experience. It seems to me that the film struggles to integrate its classical Hollywood themes with these changes, though, and it probably is a lesser film than if it had been made just a few years earlier. ✰ ✰ ✰.
MJM 11-06-2011