Synopsis
Chinatown, San Francisco, 1928. Former private detective Dashiell Hammett, a compulsive drinker with tuberculosis who writes pulp fiction for a living, receives an unexpected visit from an old friend asking for help.
Ratings
IMDb6.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes75%
Metacritic61/100
81 audience votes
Key crew
- Wim WendersDirector
- Dennis O'FlahertyScreenplay
- Ross ThomasScreenplay
- John BarryOriginal Music Composer
Cast
- Frederic ForrestHammett
- Peter BoyleJimmy Ryan
- Marilu HennerKit Conger / Sue Alabama
- Roy KinnearEnglish Eddie Hagedorn
- Lydia LeiCrystal Ling
- Elisha Cook Jr.Eli the Taxi Driver
- David Patrick KellyThe Punk
- R.G. ArmstrongLt. O'Mara
- Richard BradfordDetective Bradford
- Jack NanceGary Salt
- Michael ChowFong Wei Tau
- Sylvia SidneyDonaldina Cameron
Stills
Themes
based on novel or booksan francisco, californiachinatownhistorical figurefemme fataleneo-noir1920scrime fiction writersemi-fiction