The film is interesting from the point of view that it is not an obviously violent entertainment. There is of course, a plot to murder, an apparent attempt to do so, however, blood and guts with loud noises are definitely not present - does this mean that American movie making is shifting to a kinder, gentler form of entertainment? I suspect that because the film is placed in the late forties, early fifties and the characters are three quarters well into their fifties that nary a person under forty will want to view this film, unless there is some other allure.
Another point of interest, and perhaps the real allure, is an obvious over-abundance of smokers of the chain-smoking and casual sort. Okay, that went with the times, but doesn't it also suggest that this could be a tobacco company's dream come true? A legitimate vehicle to peddle a product generally considered verboten to the world. Wow! Now there's an investment opportunity - finance a film that promotes an unhealthy product by using well-known and popular film personalities cast in a nostalgic flick with just a slight irony at the end.
So, we trade off the usual brutality with the subtle message that smoking - while it will also kill can nevertheless be a nostalgic trip down memory lane.
Another point of interest, and perhaps the real allure, is an obvious over-abundance of smokers of the chain-smoking and casual sort. Okay, that went with the times, but doesn't it also suggest that this could be a tobacco company's dream come true? A legitimate vehicle to peddle a product generally considered verboten to the world. Wow! Now there's an investment opportunity - finance a film that promotes an unhealthy product by using well-known and popular film personalities cast in a nostalgic flick with just a slight irony at the end.
So, we trade off the usual brutality with the subtle message that smoking - while it will also kill can nevertheless be a nostalgic trip down memory lane.