Wednesday 11 November 2009

COME P.I. WITH ME

The Lady in Cement
Directed by Gordon Douglas

The 1968 sequel to Tony Rome - again available on budget priced DVD as part of the Studio Classics Collection. There are no extras but the picture quality is above average and the soundtrack has been given a polish. The film looks and sounds wonderful with natural flesh tones - which I'm sure you'll appreciate when Raquel Welch is on screen.

The film wasn't as critically successful as its predecessor but I think I preferred it. The plot is better and far more original and the Sinatra plays the character with more charm and grace. There are also some stylish shots such as when the dead girl is found in the crystal clear Miami waters. And it's great to see old Hoss Cartwright (Dan Blocker) as a kind of Moose Maloy type character who hires Rome to find a mysterious girl.

The world of Tony Rome is one of seedy strip joints and rundown slums where everyone's a hustler and life comes cheap.

A excellent neo noir thriller.

2 comments:

Laurie Powers said...

You know, bringing up Raquel Welch makes me want to look at her body of work - ha ha. No, really - I do! Fantastic Voyage, One million years B.C., this movie...what else?

Charles Gramlich said...

Dan Blocker. wow, there's a name I don't see very often. Always liked old Hoss. And how could you go wrong with Ms. Welch?

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