Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
1982
***
Director: Carl Reiner
Cast: Steve Martin, Rachel Ward, Carl Reiner, Reni Santoni, George Gaynes, Adrian Ricard, Francis X. McCarthy, Gene LeBell, Cheryl Smith
Private investigator Rigby Reardon is hired to look into the murder of a renowned cheese-maker, which leads him to a web of deceit and intrigue, and to encounters with tough guys and femme fatales. Carl Reiner's parodic love letter to film noir and pulpy crime stories seamlessly integrates new black and white footage with old film clips. In the process, Steve Martin shares the screen with the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Bette Davis, Kirk Douglas, and Ava Gardner. This is a clever and unique technique, but with dozens of clips from classic movies, the gimmick takes control and the story becomes a convoluted mess. Nevertheless, Martin is in fine form and there are some genuinely funny moments.
