I watched The Laughing Policeman with the usually avuncular
Walter Matthau playing an obsessed detective and Bruce Dern
as his parter last night. It was an interesting film, even if
the plot seemed kind of thin. I was impressed with the way it
portrayed San Francisco. It was a very gritty portrayal, with
the extras seeming like real people as opposed to actors
pretending to be real people. There was a scene in a gay bar
that would probably raise some eyebrows even today. The city
depiction of the city seemed seedier and more believable than
it does in say, Dirty Harry or Bullitt. I also liked the
naturalistic way they handled the filming. People speak over
each other, as they would in real life, and the soundtrack is
minimal. Most of the noise is real background noise. I know
the movie is based on a novel by a husband and wife team of
Swedish authors who did a ten book series about Swedish
detectives. I know TLP won an Edgar, and I wonder if it is
any good, or if any other books in the series are worth
reading?
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