Review of Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

Rugged private detective Rigby Reardon (a splendidly deadpan performance by Steve Martin) is hired by the enticing Juliet Forrest (marvelously essayed to sultry perfection by Rachel Ward) to investigate the murder of her scientist father. Of course, Reardon soon finds himself neck deep in all kinds of trouble as he tries to find out what really happened to Julie's dad. Director Carl Reiner tells the delightfully off the wall story at a constant fast pace, delivers a meticulous recreation of the 40's era (special kudos are in order for the sets and costumes), and shows a genuine affection for vintage 40's noir. It's a real treat to watch Martin interact with such past stars as Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney (in an especially hilarious scene in which Martin dresses up in drag as Cagney's mother so he can talk to Cagney in jail!), Ingrid Bergman, Veronica Lake, Ava Gardner, Charles Laughton, Ray Milland, Alan Ladd, Cary Grant, Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Crawford, and even Vincent Price; the editing is seamless and the jokes are bright and witty. Martin plays his role with great aplomb; he receives fine support from Ward, Reni Santoni as zealous police chief Carlos Rodriguez, and Reiner as nefarious Nazi villain Field Marshall Von Kluck. Martin's hard-boiled narration crackles with a lot of choice sharp one-liners and the movie boasts a nice sense of the ridiculous (I love the way Ward keeps removing bullets from Martin's hide with her teeth!). Michael Chapman's gorgeous, moody black and white cinematography perfectly captures that distinctive smoky film noir style. Miklos Rozsa's sweeping, melodramatic score likewise does the trick. A very funny and enjoyable one-of-a-kind comedy hoot.