Review of The Late Show (1977) by Stephen C — 13 May 2015
Produced by robert Altman and written and directed by Robert Benton this fim is suitably off beat gem and a fine homage to those great Film noirs of the 40s .
Art Carney plays aging Private Eye Ira Wells a once great private eye of Hollywood's golden age now lumbered with a hearing aid and a stomach ulcer.
Ira just wants a quiet life but when his partner winds up dead and flaky hippy Margo played by Lilly Tomlin asks to track down her stolen cat ,Ira is drawn back into a web of deceit and murder which harks back to some of his greatest cases.
Altman and Benton both loved subverting genre cinema and its a really pleasure seeing Carney and Tomlin spark off each other as they get to grips with the plot.
Bentons script is full of great lines and his direction is assured as he clearly enjoys directing great actors.
The film reminded me of the Long Goodbye and its a film which deserves to be better known ,I for one think its a little masterpiece.
This review of The Late Show (1977) was written by Stephen C on 13 May 2015.
The Late Show has generally received positive reviews.
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