Rent Harper (1966)

3.4 of 5 from 55 ratings
2h 1min
Rent Harper (aka The Moving Target) Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
Paul Newman memorably plays the title role in this boxoffice hit based on Ross MacDonald's 'The Moving Target'. The first detective film in Newman's then 23-film career, 'Harper' revitalised the genre. Newman's sleuth chews gum fast...and slips out of jams ever faster as he unravels a twisted case of kidnapping and murder. William Goldman's clever script throws quips and a parade of LA-LA-Land characters Harper's way.
There's a woman of means (Lauren Bacall), a gun-toting attorney (Arthur Hill), a poolside gigolo (Robert Wagner), a boozy ex-starlet (Shelley Winters), a jazz junkie (Julie Harris), Harper's estranged wife (Janet Leigh) and the unholy order of the Temple of the Clouds (led by Strother Martin). Each may possess a clue. Or a bullet for Harper.
Actors:
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Directors:
Producers:
Jerry Gershwin, Elliott Kastner
Writers:
William Goldman, Ross Macdonald
Aka:
The Moving Target
Studio:
Warner
Genres:
Classics, Drama, Thrillers
Collections:
inema Paradiso's 2023 Centenary Club: Part 2
BBFC:
Release Date:
24/06/2019
Run Time:
121 minutes
Languages:
English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
Subtitles:
English Hard of Hearing
DVD Regions:
Region 0 (All)
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 2.35:1
Colour:
Colour
Bonus:
  • Introduction by Robert Osborne
  • Commentary by Screenwriter William Goldman
  • Theatrical Trailer
BBFC:
Release Date:
24/06/2019
Run Time:
121 minutes
Languages:
English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
Subtitles:
English Hard of Hearing
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 2.35:1
Colour:
Colour
BLU-RAY Regions:
(0) All
Bonus:
  • Introduction by Robert Osborne
  • Commentary by Screenwriter William Goldman
  • Theatrical Trailer

More like Harper

Found in these customers lists

Reviews (1) of Harper

Comedy Thriller. - Harper review by Steve

Spoiler Alert
28/09/2022

Colourful, irreverent update of the pulp crime stories of the '30s. It's from a novel by Ross Macdonald, but it's essentially the Los Angeles of Raymond Chandler. Paul Newman's insubordinate PI Lew Harper is an approximation of Chandler's hero Philip Marlowe. The film even starts like The Big Sleep with Harper calling on the mansion of a man worth a hundred million dollars. 

The wealthy industrialist has gone missing. His wife (Lauren Bacall) wants him back. Harper thinks he has been kidnapped and picks up the trail leading from grifter to kook to goofball. From cameo to character actor to special guest star. This has a fabulous cast with Shelley Winters standing out as a gluttonous ex-film star and Pamela Tiffin memorable as the missing man's sexy daughter.

Harper discovers that everyone has a hand in the till, or worse. In true Chandler style, only the detective is spotless and even he has to enter the sewer to solve the crime. Newman gives a cartoonish performance as the freewheeling hero, continually adopting alter-egos with improvised accents. There's a lot of comedy.

Jack Smight was an inexperienced tv director and this is a mixed bag. The photography is attractive, but the film lacks suspense and is a touch long. The lively cast gives it energy, especially the star. This was William Goldman's debut Hollywood screenplay and he rewards film fans with many references to classic detective films, while leaving us with a souvenir of the far out nonconformism of the mid-sixties.

0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.

Unlimited films sent to your door, starting at £15.99 a month.