This is not a fun movie to watch. It's not funny like THE BIG LEBOWSKI, and it's not tragic like CHINATOWN. Yet you can see in every scene how Harper influenced these later classics.
The problem is, Harper is not heroic, or even funny. He scolds a sexy teenager for dancing around in her bikini. He scolds a lady jazz singer for doing drugs. He scolds his best buddy for falling in love with the teenager in the bikini. He scolds his wife for not loving him enough. He scolds everyone but doesn't care about anyone except himself. There was another movie just like this that came out in 1966. It was called A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS. Harper is to private eyes what Sir Thomas More was to statesmen. They both look sour and disappointed all the time. But at least Sir Thomas More gets his head chopped off at the end!
The problem is, Harper is not heroic, or even funny. He scolds a sexy teenager for dancing around in her bikini. He scolds a lady jazz singer for doing drugs. He scolds his best buddy for falling in love with the teenager in the bikini. He scolds his wife for not loving him enough. He scolds everyone but doesn't care about anyone except himself. There was another movie just like this that came out in 1966. It was called A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS. Harper is to private eyes what Sir Thomas More was to statesmen. They both look sour and disappointed all the time. But at least Sir Thomas More gets his head chopped off at the end!