I've always been a fan of film noir, and this particular spoof of the genre is one of my favourite films of all time.
The ingenious method of mixing Martin in with film clips of older characters is ingenious. And if you consider that they managed to make the story work somehow, as silly as it is, then you have to give Reiner, Martin and the rest of the filmmakers quite a bit of credit.
Also, Martin somehow manages to bring the right combination of playing it straight, along with elements of the aforementioned silliness, to perfection. He somehow imbues his character with the right degree of sardonic hardboiled style that was more prevalent in characters like Philip Marlowe than one would think...and I'm also saying this as fan of Chandler's! Couple all this with the lovely Rachel Ward, Reni Santoni with a "payamas" obsession, and Carl Reiner as Von Cluck, then you have a great slice of comedy for anyone who was a fan of 40's noir, and of a time when Steve Martin was still making good movies.
The ingenious method of mixing Martin in with film clips of older characters is ingenious. And if you consider that they managed to make the story work somehow, as silly as it is, then you have to give Reiner, Martin and the rest of the filmmakers quite a bit of credit.
Also, Martin somehow manages to bring the right combination of playing it straight, along with elements of the aforementioned silliness, to perfection. He somehow imbues his character with the right degree of sardonic hardboiled style that was more prevalent in characters like Philip Marlowe than one would think...and I'm also saying this as fan of Chandler's! Couple all this with the lovely Rachel Ward, Reni Santoni with a "payamas" obsession, and Carl Reiner as Von Cluck, then you have a great slice of comedy for anyone who was a fan of 40's noir, and of a time when Steve Martin was still making good movies.