Title: Taking The Hammer to L.A.
Product review: Mike Hammer is transplanted to the left coast in this overrated but entertaining cult classic. Rather than being a two-fisted gumshoe, here Mike does sleazy divorce work and practically pimps out Velda. The picture starts off strong, but sinks into a very convoluted plot. The thrills come from the ahead-of-it's-time violence -- some of the most sadistic of which is handed out by Hammer. The picture also takes the cynisism of 50s noir and extends that to the political climate with it's much vaunted apocalyptic ending. This seems to lay the groundwork for 70s thrillers like Parallax View and Three Days of the Condor with their paranoia and suspicion.Meeker's okay, but the picture might play better if the other women were as good as Cloris Leachman in the opening scenes.
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