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Reviews
Hammett (1982)
Flat, no chemistry
A disappointing effort by a fine cast of actors, this movie's dialog is hackneyed, a fact which is exaggerated by the lack of chemistry among the characters. With few exceptions, there's barely any life here, just a bunch of people saying lines at each other. What a waste.
Lydia Lei is the best of the lot, capturing the right feel for her critical character. Elisha Cook, Jr. is fine in his role--Anarchist, with syndicalist tendencies--gotta love that. The rest of the cast is left floundering, even Forrest when anyone else is in the scene. Given the body of work most of them have shown us, the direction is the problem here. A bad imitation of the original film noir opus.
Barry's music is fine, the film looks good, but comparing it favorably with _The Maltese Falcon_ and films of that era is insulting to the tradition.