Interesteg What makes it different from others?

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

LeonLouisRicci Falling smack in the Middle of the Old Hollywood and the New Hollywood, 1966 was not the Ideal Year for a Neo-Noir featuring a Private Detective in the Hunt among the Upper and Lower Crust of Society.This reeks of a Place in No Man's Land with Sprinklings of the Cultural Revolution raining down on the Plastic Environment of Mid Sixties L.A.Paul Newman is Inconsistent in His Characterization of the Cynical "Gum" Shoe. He Spits it out with Defiance or Sticks it Under the Table, but this "New" form of "Smoking" is just a Prop. In Fact a lot of the Movie looks like Props.From the Spiritual Temple to the various Apartments it seems Staged. As do some of the Characters. Robert Wagner, Shelley Winters, Janet Leigh and Arthur Hill manage to have some Fun with Their Characters, but Julie Harris, Strother Martin, and Lauren Bacall are Miscast and can't rise Above the Misstep.The Awful Generic Music is that what was quickly Found in Elevators Relegating some kind of Hipness to those who didn't have a Clue. The Plot goes here and there Never Settling on a Style. Lighthearted Goofiness is mixed with Torture and Beatings and it doesn't Blend well. There is an Offbeat Ending but even that Surprise, for 1966, can't Forgive all of the Stiffness that has come Before.Added Together it is Average at Best and a Disappointing Failure at Worst. It is a Film Lost in the Time that it was made and resurfaces Today as a bit of an Embarrassment, especially for Newman whose Acting Range is Small, and it is Stretched here Beyond its Boundaries, but so is the Production and Direction.

AaronCapenBanner Jack Smight directed this stylish mystery that stars Paul Newman as Lew Harper, a small-time but smart private detective about to get a big case when he is hired by a Mrs. Sampson(played by Lauren Bacall) to find her missing husband. Harper was recommended to her by her lawyer and his best friend Albert Graves(played by Arthur Hill) who is in love with her stepdaughter Miranda(played by Pamela Tiffin) who doesn't take him seriously, but instead has her eyes set on a playboy named Taggart(played by Robert Wagner) who offers his assistance to Harper, which will be needed as it turns into a complicated kidnapping case in which everyone turns out to be a suspect... Entertaining film with an intriguing mystery and good cast that also includes Janet Leigh, Robert Webber, Julie Harris, Shelley Winters, and Strother Martin.

Chrysanthepop Based on Ross MacDonald's book, Jack Smight's 'Harper' is a fine tribute to the 1940's noir genre. It's pretty much treated exactly like a noir film. The dialogues, characters, storyline and even the setup and use of actors contribute. The only exception is that this was made much later (and thus has a more 'modern' look) and it's in colour. Even though the characters are not fully developed and there are very few occasions when the plot got slightly confusing, the film succeeds in building tension and its element of surprise. Moreover it's a cool movie. Humour is also used effectively.Paul Newman's 'Harper' is quite a complex figure. He has women drooling all over him, yet all he wants is to win his ex-wife back. The portrayal of the women is also interesting. Although not all these characters are fully fleshed out, they all have their own struggles. Paul Newman plays the pàrt as though it was tailor made for him. Maybe it was. After all he gave the character his name. The actresses do a fine job too. Obviously, Lauren Bacall stands out (she's also the original femme fatale of the noire genre).Overall, 'Harper' is cool, fun, suspenseful and exciting. 'Too bad they don't make it like this anymore.

dougdoepke So where else could you get a chance to catch a fleshy Shelley Winters snore like a moose in heat. But you have to give it to the former glamour girl—she does the blowzy barfly really well. Poor Harper. Just the thought of maybe having to couple with her in the line of duty gives him the shakes and thoughts of a different line of work.All in all, it's a good gumshoe movie. Harper (Newman) has to track down a kidnapped rich guy even though nobody really wants the old tyrant back. Certainly not his silken, sarcastic wife (Bacall), nor his shapely, spinning-top daughter (Tiffen), nor even the live-in pretty boy (Wagner). Still, gumshoe Harper gets to tour about every happening nightspot in '60's Hollywood, and we get to go along for the noisy ride. And catch the icky Strother Martin as the high priest of love, or is it the sun god, or maybe even the high priest of illegal aliens! Anyhow, there he is in his open-air temple on top one of those scrubby LA hills that burn every year. Yes indeed, no smog city movie would be complete without at least one of these wacko frauds.I'll say this for Newman—he sure earns his money. I've never seen a PI get clobbered so many times without even a love tap in return. Lew Harper is clearly no Mike Hammer. And what's with the long-suffering wife (Leigh). Her role as Mrs. Harper sort of dangles from the plot like a glued on appendage. Nonetheless, if I were he, I'd be spending all my nights at home. But catch actress Julie Harris doing some big-time emoting. I knew her New York stage talents were in the cast for some good reason. And I really like the ending, so right for an American culture moving into a new era.No, this gumshoe saga won't make you forget the Maltese Falcon or even Kiss Me Deadly, but it's sure a colorful way to pass an entertaining couple of hours.