Hammett

Based on Joe Gores' 1975 novel of the same name, Hammett tells the story of a novelist who becomes deeply involved in the investigation of a missing cabaret actress. Based in San Francisco, the film follows Hammett (Frederic Forrest) as he becomes more and more ingrained in the woman's mysterious disappearance - an occurrence that goes hand in hand with an extortion plot by his former mentor, Jimmy Ryan (Peter Boyle). It turns out that the missing actress, Crystal Ling (Lydia Lei), is actually a cunning ex-prostitute who has an elaborate photography collection that highlights San Francisco's most influential citizens engaged in scandalous acts. Despite being filmed in 1982, cinematographers Philip H. Lathrop and Joseph Biroc make the movie feel like a classic 1940s noir.