[fat city]

As for hardboiled fiction, Red Harvest is THE book.

Sure is- and nobody does Chinatown better than Hammett's Continental Op. Not a bad writer for an old commie.

Kiss Me Deadly for noir films, though.

[Darkwolf377]

I've always found Kiss Me Deadly a bit dull and dry (especially since we've got the originally-intended ending available now, and it's a lot less apocalyptic than the original). I can't put my finger on it, it's just kind of flat in its grimmness.

I mentioned Big Sleep as my favorite early noir; middle-period would be Touch of Evil; late would be Chinatown.

If you can find it give the little-seen movie Hammett a try. Frederick Forrest does a great impersonation of a fictionalized Hammett, and the score by John Barry is spare and beautiful.

[Lancey Howard]

Kiss Me Deadly for noir films, though.

Was that the one with Dick Powell?

[Lancey Howard]

Ahh, nevermind.... I was thinking of 'Murder, My Sweet'
Now THERE's a "film noir". Great, great movie.