I'm a sucker for a good private eye flick and for movies that mix a bunch of genre's together and pull it off so it was with great hope and glee that I popped The Late Show into my dvd player. This mix of noir throwback, comedy, action and inside an look at 70's Los Angeles ("this place never changes, they just move the people around") is a vastly overlooked film that did not disappoint me in the least. Art Carney plays aging private eye Ira Wells who's former partner shows up at his door dying of a gunshot wound talking about a big score he wants to cut Ira in on. Soon Wells is caught up investigating the murder, looking for a lost cat and hanging around quirky pseudo hippie Margo Sperling (Lilly Tomlin). The plot is an intricate and layered mystery that holds up well on it's own but the key to the Late Show's success is the characters. Carney is fantastic in a role that is both funny and at times painful. Tomlin's character is fairly annoying at first but after a while she grows on you and the emotional attachment the two form is the most worthwhile aspect of the film. Add in strong supporting roles from the lies of character actors Bill Macy and Eugene Roche with Robert Benton's (Kramer Vs. Kramer) strong direction and you have a smart, funny mystery that is well worth checking out for genre fans.
Rating: 4
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