109 minute running time but feels longer … some dummy on YouTube said this was an “unknown classic” from the 1970s so I watched it, but I can tell you why it’s unknown: it’s terrible. The story is no good, makes no sense, is disjointed, it’s just garbage, like a bad TV show … Walter Matthau just chews gum the entire movie like he’s a cow chewing its cud. (I loved Walter Matthau in The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3 (1974), which is a good movie.)
Bruce Dern adds some needed energy, but the story is so bad it doesn’t make a difference. Scenes from San Francisco gay bars were interesting … Bruce Dern tells a transvestite, “save my seat, fellow,” which was worth a laugh. America was dead-near rock bottom in 1973 and you can see it in this movie.
Here’s a nutter website that links to all the movie locations in San Francisco.
(When I was young, I read all the Per Wahlöö and Maj Sjöwall books and enjoyed them… they’re good.)
Being a fruit is no crime these days.