Geek Syndicate
Their victim accepts his
fate. An insurance investigator has his doubts and a
love is betrayed. This film
features flashbacks, dubious dealings, curiosity, coincidence, double crossing,
murder and a beautiful and
untrustworthy dame.
• The Big Sleep, 1946 starring: Humphrey Bogart
and Lauren Bacall, Dir:
Howard Hawks 114 mins.
• Night and the City, 1950
starring:
Richard
Widmark and Gene Tierney,
Dir: Jules Dassin 101 mins.
An American crook dreams
of the big leagues in London. He needs to break the
Mob’s monopoly. He betrays everyone to make his
dream come true. This film
features nihilism, a fatalistic loser, shady morals and
dark shadows, and absolutely no dame, trustworthy or otherwise.
• Kiss Me Deadly, 1955 starring: Ralph Meeker and
Albert Dekker, Dir: Robert Aldrich 106 mins.
A private eye – Mike Hammer – helps a female hitchhiker, but she ends up murdered. Oddly affected by
her, he tracks down her killers and realises that everyone is after a mysterious
box. This features misogyny and just plain meanness, murder, coincidences,
shadows, wise-guys, (very
briefly) a helpless dame, an
untrustworthy dame and
an absolutely killer climax.
A wealthy old man has a
wild and sleazy daughter.
Blackmailers threaten to
ruin him by exposing her.
The man hires Marlowe,
who falls in love while trying to uncover the truth.
This features a violent private eye being lead by
his heart, a pointless plot,
mobsters and gambling
and a beautiful and possibly trustworthy dame.
and gangsters, sleaze and a
framed dame.
• The Long Goodbye, 1973 starring: Elliott Gould and
Nina van Pallandt, Dir:
Robert Altman 112 mins.
Marlowe’s best friend is
framed for murder. A highclass lady hires him to find
her missing husband. The
husband commits suicide,
or does he? And what has
this to do with his best
friend? This film features
sleaze, a dishevelled private eye who appears to be
manipulated by a shadowy
underworld, murder and
a totally untrustworthy
dame.
• Touch of Evil, 1958 Staring:
Charlton Heston, Orson
Welles and Janet Leigh,
Dir: Orson Welles 95 mins.
A district attorney comes
to a US/Mexico border
town to investigate murder
and corruption. Featuring
one of the best and longest
opening shots in cinema
history, heat so oppressive
you can taste it, murder
• Chinatown,
1974
starring: Jack Nicholson and
Faye Dunaway, Dir: Roman Polanski 130 mins.
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