Publisher's Synopsis
Wim Wenders directs this noir mystery set in 1940s San Francisco. Evocatively recreating the mood of the genre, the plot, based on the novel by Joe Gores, follows the exploits of real-life crime-writer novelist Dashiell Hammett (Frederic Forrest) as he becomes involved in a complex missing person case, trying to track down Chinese actress Crystal Ling (Lydia Lei) for his former detective agency friend Jimmy Ryan (Peter Boyle).