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IMDbPro

Hammett

  • 19821982
  • PGPG
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
3.5K
YOUR RATING
Marilu Henner, Peter Boyle, Frederic Forrest, David Patrick Kelly, and Lydia Lei in Hammett (1982)
Watch Trailer [OV]
Play trailer2:31
1 Video
85 Photos
CrimeDramaMystery
Fictional account of real-life mystery writer Dashiell Hammett, and his involvement in the investigation of a beautiful Chinese cabaret actress' mysterious disappearance in San Francisco.Fictional account of real-life mystery writer Dashiell Hammett, and his involvement in the investigation of a beautiful Chinese cabaret actress' mysterious disappearance in San Francisco.Fictional account of real-life mystery writer Dashiell Hammett, and his involvement in the investigation of a beautiful Chinese cabaret actress' mysterious disappearance in San Francisco.
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
3.5K
YOUR RATING
    • Wim Wenders
  • Writers
    • Joe Gores(book)
    • Ross Thomas(screenplay)
    • Dennis O'Flaherty(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Frederic Forrest
    • Peter Boyle
    • Marilu Henner
    • Wim Wenders
  • Writers
    • Joe Gores(book)
    • Ross Thomas(screenplay)
    • Dennis O'Flaherty(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Frederic Forrest
    • Peter Boyle
    • Marilu Henner
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 23User reviews
    • 35Critic reviews
    • 61Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    Trailer [OV]
    Trailer 2:31
    Watch Trailer [OV]

    Photos85

    Frederic Forrest in Hammett (1982)
    Frederic Forrest in Hammett (1982)
    Hammett (1982)
    Hammett (1982)
    Frederic Forrest in Hammett (1982)
    Peter Boyle, Frederic Forrest, and David Patrick Kelly in Hammett (1982)
    Peter Boyle in Hammett (1982)
    Frederic Forrest in Hammett (1982)
    Lydia Lei in Hammett (1982)
    Frederic Forrest in Hammett (1982)
    Hammett (1982)
    Frederic Forrest, R.G. Armstrong, and Richard Bradford in Hammett (1982)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Frederic Forrest
    Frederic Forrest
    • Hammett
    Peter Boyle
    Peter Boyle
    • Jimmy Ryan
    Marilu Henner
    Marilu Henner
    • Kit Conger…
    Roy Kinnear
    Roy Kinnear
    • English Eddie Hagedorn
    Elisha Cook Jr.
    Elisha Cook Jr.
    • Eli the Taxi Driver
    • (as Elisha Cook)
    Lydia Lei
    Lydia Lei
    • Crystal Ling
    R.G. Armstrong
    R.G. Armstrong
    • Lt. O'Mara
    Richard Bradford
    Richard Bradford
    • Detective Bradford
    Michael Chow
    Michael Chow
    • Fong Wei Tau
    David Patrick Kelly
    David Patrick Kelly
    • The Punk
    Sylvia Sidney
    Sylvia Sidney
    • Donaldina Cameron
    Jack Nance
    Jack Nance
    • Gary Salt
    Elmer Kline
    • Doc Fallon
    • (as Elmer L. Kline)
    Royal Dano
    Royal Dano
    • Pops
    Samuel Fuller
    Samuel Fuller
    • Old Man in Pool Hall
    Lloyd Kino
    Lloyd Kino
    • Barber
    Fox Harris
    • Frank the News Vendor
    Rose Wong
    • Chinese Laundress
      • Wim Wenders
    • Writers
      • Joe Gores(book)
      • Ross Thomas(screenplay)
      • Dennis O'Flaherty(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When director Wim Wenders completed his work, the company Orion was so dissatisfied, that the studio Zoetrope was ordered to re-write and re-shoot nearly the whole movie. Two different versions were produced, but only the second released. According to Wenders the first version, which was finished, is lost.
    • Goofs
      When Hammett hands Ryan a straight drink, there's a bit of foam around the edge. Real liquor doesn't do that, but the ubiquitous stand-in, cold tea, does.
    • Quotes

      Hammett: I was sure I heard you retired.

      Doc Fallon: I heard you stopped drinkin'.

      Hammett: I guess we were both wrong.

    • Connections
      Featured in Reverse Angle: Ein Brief aus New York (1982)

    User reviews23

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Underrated, undervalued, almost designed to be a cult film from the onset
    In the background/historical notes to his novel, "Hammett," author Joe Gores says of one character, ". . . and if you don't know who he's based on, you need to read more Hammett." The movie, more or less based upon the novel, takes Gore's dicta to heart with several key characters. The result can be a whole lot of fun if you know your Hammett; if you're a little weak in that category, the result is merely a lot of fun.

    Set in 1927 San Francisco, the film catches Dashiell Hammett in transition: Trying to firmly put his Pinkerton days behind him while establishing himself as a writer, dealing with the twin scourges of his World War I - induced tuberculosis and the alcoholism that will plague him almost to the end of his days, he finds himself drawn back into his old life one last time by the irresistible call of friendship and to honor a debt. By the time he's done, he finds himself having paid a far higher price, learning that he had only thought himself to be totally disillusioned beforehand.

    "Hammett" the movie is as much an homage as "Hammett" the novel. It is a rare thing for neither a movie nor a novel to suffer by comparison to each other -- especially when the two are so divergent -- but that is exactly what happens here. The screenplay is strong, the production values uniformly excellent (check out the 1920s Market Street Railway streetcar which passes by in the background briefly in one scene, for example; only one in a thousand viewers might recognize it, and only one in possibly two thousand might appreciate the verisimilitude it provides), the direction and pacing authoritative.

    Frederic Forrest is virtually perfect as Hammett; by turns ravaged and buoyant, hardboiled and outraged, at every turn ultimately unstoppable. By the film's close, he makes it very clear that, for Hammett, there will be no turning back; those moodily tapping typewriter keys which formed such an eerie backdrop for much of the action will also provide his salvation, and that this is a good thing.

    And anyone who disputes that, as Joe Gores would say, needs to read more Hammett.
    helpful•32
    2
    • bigpurplebear
    • Apr 11, 2001

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 17, 1982 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
      • Cantonese
      • German
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Hastings Alley, San Francisco, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Orion Pictures
      • Warner Bros.
      • Zoetrope Studios
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 37 minutes
      • Black and White
      • Dolby

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    Marilu Henner, Peter Boyle, Frederic Forrest, David Patrick Kelly, and Lydia Lei in Hammett (1982)
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