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.
The novel writer Dashiell Hammett is involved in the investigation of the mysterious disappearance of a beautiful Chinese cabaret actress in San Francisco.—Michel Rudoy <[email protected]>
Based in part on detective-fiction writer Dashiell Hammett's early experiences as a Pinkerton detective, this moderately-noir film has Hammett (using his little-known first name, Sam) involved in an elaborate extortion plot by his former detective agency mentor, Jimmy Ryan. Ryan shows up at Hammett's San Francisco digs searching for a mysterious Chinese girl, Crystal Ling. He calls in a marker from Hammett's days at the detective agency to get his help in finding the girl, who turns out to be a very sexy and shrewd former prostitute and porn star. She has photographs of San Francisco's most influential citizens engaged in sexual fantasy with her and she means to turn them into a million-dollar payday. The tubercular Hammett must cope with an unfriendly police force, a mysterious gunsel intent on inflicting serious harm, and betrayal by supposed friends; to save the reputations of the powerful while tweaking their collective noses.—Joe Jurca
A fictional story centered around real life Dashiell Hammett, a Pinkerton agent turned famed noir fiction writer, is told. It's 1928 San Francisco. Chain smoking, hard drinking Sam, as most of his friends call him (his real given first name), has just completed his latest magazine commissioned short story. Concurrently, he receives a surprise visit from his old friend from out of town, private detective Jimmy Ryan, his mentor and arguably the inspiration for most of his nameless leading P.I. characters, requesting help on a local case, that of missing Chinese teenager Crystal Ling. Despite not wanting to get involved especially in the high probability of tussling with the local police, Sam agrees in owing Jimmy one. Sam ends up enlisting the help of his neighbor, librarian Kit Conger, who is arguably the model for the femme fatale in his stories. Even before learning more about Crystal, that information in and of itself placing her in the company of potentially dangerous people, Sam is warned to back off about trying to find Crystal, and learns in the process that several others are also looking for her. In continuing with his search, Sam ends up placing his and Kit's life in danger.—Huggo
