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.
Director:
Writers:
Awards:
- 2 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Frederic Forrest | ... |
Hammett
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| Peter Boyle | ... |
Jimmy Ryan
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| Marilu Henner | ... |
Kit Conger / Sue Alabama
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| Roy Kinnear | ... |
English Eddie Hagedorn
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| Elisha Cook Jr. | ... |
Eli the Taxi Driver
(as Elisha Cook)
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| Lydia Lei | ... |
Crystal Ling
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| R.G. Armstrong | ... |
Lt. O'Mara
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| Richard Bradford | ... |
Detective Bradford
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| Michael Chow | ... |
Fong Wei Tau
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| David Patrick Kelly | ... |
The Punk
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| Sylvia Sidney | ... |
Donaldina Cameron
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| Jack Nance | ... |
Gary Salt
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Elmer Kline | ... |
Doc Fallon
(as Elmer L. Kline)
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| Royal Dano | ... |
Pops
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| Samuel Fuller | ... |
Old Man in Pool Hall
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| Lloyd Kino | ... |
Barber
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Fox Harris | ... |
Frank the News Vendor
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Rose Wong | ... |
Chinese Laundress
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Liz Roberson | ... |
Lady in the Library
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Jean-François Ferreol | ... |
French Sailor
(as Jean Francois Ferreol)
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Alison Hong | ... |
Young Chinese Girl
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Patricia Kong | ... |
Chinese Girl in Fong's
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| Lisa Lu | ... |
Miss Cameron's Assistant
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Andrew Winner | ... |
Bank Guard
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Kenji Shibuya | ... |
Chinese Bouncer
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James Quinn | ... |
Fong's Guard
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Mark Anger | ... |
Bartender in Cookies' Bar
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James Devney | ... |
Police Projectionist
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| Hank Worden | ... |
Pool Room Attendant
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Christopher Day | ... |
Neighborhood Kid
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Ciceley Rush | ... |
Neighborhood Kid
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| Chris Alcaide | ... |
Man in Boardroom
(as Christopher Alcaide)
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Ben Breslauer | ... |
Man in Boardroom
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James Brodhead | ... |
Man in Boardroom
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John Hamilton | ... |
Man in Boardroom
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John T. Spiotta | ... |
Man in Boardroom
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Ross Thomas | ... |
Man in Boardroom
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Sid Terror | ... |
Crime Scene rubbernecker (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Wim Wenders | ||
Written by
| Joe Gores | ... | (book) |
| Ross Thomas | ... | (screenplay) and |
| Dennis O'Flaherty | ... | (screenplay) |
| Thomas Pope | ... | (adaptation) |
Produced by
| Ronald Colby | ... | producer |
| Francis Ford Coppola | ... | executive producer |
| Don Guest | ... | producer |
| Fred Roos | ... | producer |
| Mona Skager | ... | associate producer |
Music by
| John Barry | ||
Cinematography by
| Joseph F. Biroc | ... | director of photography (as Joseph Biroc) |
Editing by
| Janice Hampton | ||
| Marc Laub | ||
| Robert Q. Lovett | ||
| Randy Roberts | ||
Editorial Department
| Carrie Ellison | ... | assistant editor |
| Dorian Harris | ... | assistant editor |
| Barry Malkin | ... | supervising editor |
| Suzana Peric | ... | assistant editor |
| Deborah Roberts | ... | assistant editor |
| Sonya Sones | ... | assistant editor |
Casting By
| Janet Hirshenson | ||
| Jane Jenkins | ||
| Barbara Johnson | ||
Production Design by
| Dean Tavoularis | ||
| Eugene Lee | ... | (uncredited) |
Art Direction by
| Leon Ericksen | ... | (as Leon Erickson) |
| Angelo P. Graham | ... | (as Angelo Graham) |
Set Decoration by
| George R. Nelson | ||
| Steven Potter | ... | (as Steve Potter) |
Costume Design by
| Ruth Morley | ||
Makeup Department
| Jeff Angell | ... | makeup artist |
| Kathryn Blondell | ... | hair stylist (as Kathy Blondell) |
| Mary Keats | ... | hair stylist |
| Thomas Tuttle | ... | makeup artist |
Production Management
| Ronald Colby | ... | unit production manager |
| Robert Huddleston | ... | unit production manager (as Robert J. Huddleston) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Daniel Attias | ... | second assistant director |
| Ronald Colby | ... | first assistant director |
| Francis Ford Coppola | ... | second unit director |
| Arne Schmidt | ... | first assistant director |
| David Valdes | ... | second assistant director (as David Valdés) |
Art Department
| Gary M. Brickley | ... | construction foreman: San Francisco |
| Roger Dietz | ... | set artist |
| Gary Fettis | ... | leadman |
| Dennis Gassner | ... | graphic designer |
| Robert C. Goldstein | ... | set designer (as Bob Goldstein) |
| Douglas E. Madison | ... | property master (as Doug Madison) |
| James J. Murakami | ... | set designer (as James Murakami) |
| John J. Rutchland Jr. | ... | construction coordinator (as John Rutchland) |
| Robert Scaife | ... | construction coordinator |
| Tom Shaw Jr. | ... | property master |
| Alex Tavoularis | ... | illustrator |
| Gary M. Brickley | ... | construction coordinator (uncredited) |
| Stan Cockerell | ... | assistant property master (uncredited) / set dresser (uncredited) |
| Benjamin Resella | ... | scenic designer (uncredited) |
| John J. Rutchland III | ... | general foreman (uncredited) |
| Mike Villarino | ... | propmaker (uncredited) |
| Louis Zamora | ... | labor foreman (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Jill Demby Guest | ... | dialogue editor (as Jill Demby) |
| John Duffy | ... | sound editor |
| Richard Bryce Goodman | ... | sound mixer (as Richard Goodman) |
| Bob Johnston | ... | sound editor (as Robert Johnston) |
| Randy Kelley | ... | sound editor |
| Andrew London | ... | supervising sound editor |
| Chris McLaughlin | ... | boom operator |
| Vince Melandri | ... | dialogue editor |
| Donald O. Mitchell | ... | re-recording mixer |
| Kevin O'Connell | ... | re-recording mixer |
| Donald Ortiz | ... | assistant sound editor |
| Wylie Stateman | ... | sound editor |
| Darcy Vebber | ... | boom operator |
| James E. Webb | ... | sound mixer (as James Webb Jr.) |
| Glenn T. Morgan | ... | assistant sound editor (uncredited) |
Special Effects by
| Howard Jensen | ... | special effects |
| Joe Lombardi | ... | special effects (as Joseph Lombardi) |
Stunts
| Terry Leonard | ... | stunt coordinator |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Clifford Dalton | ... | best boy |
| Larry Gilhooly | ... | gaffer (as Larry Gilhouley) |
| Jack Harris | ... | still photographer |
| M. Todd Henry | ... | first assistant camera (as Todd Henry) |
| Bill Johnson | ... | camera operator |
| Philip H. Lathrop | ... | cinematographer: other photography (as Philip Lathrop) |
| Carl Manoogian | ... | key grip |
| Pete G. Papanickolas | ... | key grip (as Pete Papanickolas) |
| Morgan Renard | ... | still photographer |
| Frederic J. Smith | ... | camera operator |
| Robert A. Torres | ... | first assistant camera (as Robert Torres) |
| Bud Woodside | ... | best boy |
| Robert Woodside | ... | gaffer (as Bob Woodside) |
| David A. Smith | ... | video assist operator (uncredited) |
Casting Department
| Frank Cullen | ... | extras casting |
| Elisabeth Leustig | ... | extras casting (as Elizabeth Leustig) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| April Ferry | ... | costumer |
| Ed Fincher | ... | costumer |
| Mina Mittelman | ... | costumer (as Mina Mittleman) |
| Dean Skipworth | ... | costumer |
Location Management
| Anthony Cunningham | ... | location coordinator (as Tony Cunningham) |
| Mona Skager | ... | location coordinator |
Music Department
| John Barry | ... | conductor |
| Lucia Hwong | ... | chinese music consultant: John Barry |
| Michael Lang | ... | musician: solo piano |
| Ronny Lang | ... | musician: solo clarinet (as Ronnie Lang) |
| Robert Q. Lovett | ... | music editor |
| Dennis S. Sands | ... | music recording engineer (as Dennis Sands) |
| Andy D'Addario | ... | Music Scoring Recordist (uncredited) |
Script and Continuity Department
| Joanie Blum | ... | script supervisor |
| Lloyd Nelson | ... | script supervisor |
Transportation Department
| Ernie Foster | ... | transportation captain |
| Richard Padgett | ... | transportation captain (as Dick Padgett) |
Additional Crew
| Bill Blackbeard | ... | additional researcher |
| Trevor Colby | ... | production aide |
| Francis Ford Coppola | ... | presenter |
| Gian-Carlo Coppola | ... | production aide |
| Steve Danton | ... | production assistant |
| Tony Dingman | ... | production aide |
| David Fechheimer | ... | additional researcher |
| Teri Fettis-D'Ovidio | ... | production coordinator (as Teri Fettis) |
| Wayne Fitzgerald | ... | title designer |
| Michael Hacker | ... | production assistant |
| Kimba Hills | ... | production aide |
| Murdo Laird | ... | electronic cinema |
| Anita Luccioni | ... | assistant: Mr. Wenders |
| Lillian Michelson | ... | additional researcher |
| Mary Mitchel | ... | researcher (as Mary Patton) |
| Giedra Rackauskas | ... | auditor |
| Lisa Radano | ... | production aide |
| Robert Rock | ... | production aide |
| Frank Simeone | ... | production aide (as Franklin Simeone) |
| David A. Smith | ... | electronic cinema (as David Smith) |
| Ann St. John | ... | electronic cinema |
| Tony St. John | ... | electronic cinema (as Anthony St. John) |
| Julie Stark | ... | production aide |
| Barbara Stones | ... | researcher |
| David Stump | ... | production aide |
| Judy Thomason | ... | assistant to producer |
| Beverly Walker | ... | publicist |
| Charles B. Wessler | ... | production aide (as Charles Wessler) |
| Kurt Woolner | ... | auditor |
| Paul Bürks | ... | voice dubbing: Elmer L. Kline (uncredited) |
| Daniel R. Suhart | ... | assistant production office coordinator (uncredited) |
Thanks
| Keith Deutsch | ... | acknowledgment: "Black Mask" courtesy of |
Production Companies
Distributors
- Orion Pictures (1982) (United States) (theatrical)
- Warner Bros. (1982) (United States) (theatrical)
- Artificial Eye (1982) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- AMLF (1982) (France) (theatrical)
- Europa Film (1983) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Constantin Film (1983) (West Germany) (theatrical) (as Neue Constantin Film)
- Adams Filmi (1985) (Finland) (theatrical)
- American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1985) (United States) (tv) (broadcast premiere)
- Constantin Video (West Germany) (video)
- Fram Film (1986) (Norway) (theatrical)
- Showtime (1988) (Finland) (VHS)
- Yleisradio (YLE) (1996) (Finland) (tv)
- Paramount Home Entertainment (2003) (United States) (DVD)
- Manga Entertainment (2004) (United States) (DVD) (as Manga Video)
- Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2004) (Finland) (DVD) (6-disc Francis Ford Coppola Collection)
- Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
- Arthaus (2011) (Germany) (DVD)
- Divisa Home Video (2016) (Spain) (DVD)
- Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Clein & Feldman Associates (publicity)
- Group Four (music recorded at)
- Pacific Title (titles and opticals)
- Sony (electronic cinema)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
The novel writer Dashiell Hammett is involved in the investigation of the mysterious disappearance of a beautiful Chinese cabaret actress in San Francisco.
Written by Michel Rudoy |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | The mystery writer who lived his own stories ! [Video] See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | Add content advisory for parents » |
| Certification |
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Additional Details
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Box Office
| Opening Weekend United States | $8,222, 19 Sep 1982 |
Did You Know?
| 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. See more » |
| 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. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Reverse Angle: Ein Brief aus New York (1982). See more » |
| Quotes |
Hammett:
I was sure I heard you retired. Doc Fallon: I heard you stopped drinkin'. Hammett: I guess we were both wrong. See more » |