Review of Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982) by Turri V — 21 Aug 2016
It's ridiculous to see Steve Martin inserted into old films noir, playing against the likes of Alan Ladd, Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner, and Barbara Stanwyck - and that's the point. However, there aren't as many belly laughs as one would hope (although the "cleaning woman" bit makes a good plot device).
Martin is a private dick and Rachel Ward is his client/love interest. The plot was sewn together by finding suitable clips from a dozen movies (The Killers, Double Indemnity, Lost Weekend, Notorious, etc.
) and then fitting a story in between. It mostly works - or as they say in the production notes, it isn't as confusing as The Big Sleep (which isn't saying much). Everyone plays it straight, except for a streak of goofiness throughout (of course).
Carl Reiner directs and plays a small part, but this was clearly a labor of love for him. He also assembled some veterans of the noir era: the soundtrack is by Miklos Rozsa and the costumes are by Edith Head.
Classy, except it's not.
This review of Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982) was written by Turri V on 21 Aug 2016.
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid has generally received positive reviews.
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