Jim A

Brought me right back to that miserably hot summer with all the doors and windows locked tight in my parents' house in Rowland Heights. Lt. Richard Walls of the Sheriff's Information Bureau, seen about half way through the last episode, was my late brother-in-law. He did a large number of news appearances and interviews, both local and national, during that investigation.

Pretty accurate in terms of history. I'm not an expert, but I am well read (Layton, Tully & Parshall, Symonds) and I really didn't see anything that drove me crazy the way Pearl Harbor did. The sequence at the very beginning of the movie with the SBD dive bomber landing like a yo-yo bugged me very much. Not possible. Broken airplane and lots of injuries would be the outcome, along with a grounded pilot in all probability. Kind of a turnoff, but in general I liked the film. I also think Jake Weber as Spruance should have gotten more screen time, given that his decisions won the battle, in the macro sense.

Boothe is an excellent Marlowe, considering he's taking on a role played by Bogart, Garner, Gould, Powell and Montgomery. He is utterly adroit at balancing Marlowe's sarcastic wit, his mordant world view, and his charm with the ladies. Nice to see the early Chandler short stories done, too. All in all, an outstanding introduction to the character for mystery fans. Remember, it's difficult or impossible to figure out a Chandler plot, so don't get frustrated. Nobody ever figured out who killed the chauffeur in The Big Sleep, not even Chandler.