_The_Woman_Chaser_ *** 1/2
First-time writer-director Robinson Devor's low-budget
($800,000) adaptation of Charles Willeford's novel proves
that a strong character and a little ingenuity can sidestep
any monetary limitations. And is there ever a character at
the center of this noir satire: Richard Hudson (Patrick
Warburton), a bored used car salesman in '60s L.A. who is
inspired to make his own film--a decision that sets off an
often stingingly funny, completely out-of-control chain of
events.
Devor is painstakingly accurate in capturing the
details of films from the era: the fashions and cars, the
shiny sheen of '60s L.A. as seen through a black-and-white
lens, the hard-boiled voiceover narration--delivered to
deadpan perfection by Warburton, whose performance as the
antihero is nothing short of superb. Devor is more adept at
the comedic aspects of the film than the darker
elements
(and things do take a turn, in keeping with the genre), but
when he gets as much right as he does here, that's a petty
complaint.
Michael Dequina
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