Created by Dennis Huack "I need to change my life." -- Mel Samson MEL SAMSON is the hapless L.A. private eye centrepiece in Too Late, a twisted little bit of cinematic chess perpetrated by writer/director Dennis Hauck that plays with all your favourite P.I. and noir tropes (circa 2016) in all-new ways, thanks to a … Continue reading Mel Samson (Too Late)
Tag: Noir
Tim “T.M.” Slade
Created by Raoul Whitfield "Sure." -- Slade's reply to almost everything. In High Tide, a rarely seen but highly recommended little 1947 B noir from Monogram, Lee Tracy plays gruff, crusading Los Angeles tabloid newspaper editor Hugh Fresney and Don Castle plays TIM "T.M." SLADE, a former reporter who's become a private eye. When Fresney, … Continue reading Tim “T.M.” Slade
Dan Farraday
Created by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips It's about time writer Brubaker and his partner in crime, Phillips, introduced a private eye into their long-running, Eisner-winning Criminal series. But why'd it take so long? Since the series began back in 2006 as a limited series, published by Marvel's Icon imprint, it's been a wild ride full … Continue reading Dan Farraday
Nameless (Elizabeth McKenzie)
Created by Elizabeth McKenzie It may be just a trifle (the lead character doesn't even rate a name) of a short story, but the Shamus-nominated "The Big Creep" by Elizabeth McKennzie hits all the right notes. Come to think of it, it's barely even a story; it's almost a character study or a vignette; a … Continue reading Nameless (Elizabeth McKenzie)
Jack Chesley
Created by Sean Carswell It's 1946 Los Angeles and hard-drinking, hard-boiled ex-cop JOHN WALTER "JACK" CHESLEY, JR. is finally home from the war. But it's not such a great homecoming after all. His wife Wilma is dead―and her twin sister Gertie insists she was murdered. The cops aren't convinced -- they claim it was an … Continue reading Jack Chesley
Cal Innes
Created by Ray Banks If you like self-destructive, cynical P.I.s who just don't seem to give much of a shit anymore, with a British twist and a Scottish burr, you could do far worse than Ray Banks' CAL INNES, who hails from Manchester and appeared in several short stories and four novels. Here, his creator … Continue reading Cal Innes
Loren Visser (Blood Simple)
Created by Ethan Coen "The world is full of complainers. But the fact is, nothing comes with a guarantee. I don’t care if you’re the Pope of Rome, President of the United States, or even Man of the Year—something can always go wrong. And go ahead, complain, tell your problems to your neighbor, ask for … Continue reading Loren Visser (Blood Simple)
Mike Kendall (Small Town Crime)
Created by Eshom Nelms and Ian Nelms Client: "You drunk?" Mike: "I'm comfortable." Fresh off 2016's entertaining little P.I. mind-fuck Too Late and a small but engaging role in 2017's Oscar-contending Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri comes actor John Hawkes in yet another juicy performance, once again as a battered yet oddly compelling loser. Small … Continue reading Mike Kendall (Small Town Crime)
Fallen Angels
(1993-95, Showtime) FALLEN ANGELS was a crime television anthology that aired on the American network, Showtime, in the 1990's. Not all the episodes featured private eyes, or even detectives, per se, but who cares? It paired some great hard-boiled and noir short stories by some of the genre's masters (you know, hacks like Raymond Chandler, … Continue reading Fallen Angels