Harper

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Harper

1966

2h 1m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

21 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Struggling private eye Lew Harper (Paul Newman) takes a simple missing-person case that quickly spirals into something much more complex. Elaine Sampson (Lauren Bacall), recently paralyzed in a horse-riding accident, wants Harper to find her missing oil baron husband, but her tempestuous teenage stepdaughter Miranda (Pamela Tiffin) thinks Mrs. Sampson knows more than she's letting on. The film is based on Ross Macdonald's 1949 mystery "The Moving Target," featuring private eye Lew Archer.

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TIME Magazine

By combining flamboyant suspense with a sunbaked slice of life and lots of good mean fun, Director Smight makes every clue a pleasure to follow.

Sep 30, 2008

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Variety Staff

Variety

Director Jack Smight has inserted countless touches which illuminate each character to the highest degree.

Sep 30, 2008

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Derek Adams

Time Out

Enjoyable performances throughout. Just the same, a very minor Big Sleep.

Feb 9, 2006

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Pauline Kael

McCall's

Harper sounded promising -- Paul Newman in an attempt to recapture the Bogart private-eye world of The Big Sleep, with its spoiled people and overripe Southern California civilization. But it’s a despicably incompetent attempt.

Sep 20, 2023

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Judith Crist

New York Herald Tribune

Harper can be dismissed as just another private-eye story... But we'd rather hold on to it as a return to a classic -- a triumphant return to something that's been missing from the screen, something for grown-ups by grown-ups.

Aug 15, 2022

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Wildly enjoyable.

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 31, 2021

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Jeffrey L

Newman is fabulous in this complex twisting & turning mystery thriller with unexpected surprise ending.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/08/25

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Jack S

The action in Harper is quite good for the era but, the mystery unfortunately is merely so-so. In fact, the plot is confusingly elaborate and even includes characters absent from the book, such as Harper’s wife (Leigh) in a couple well played but frankly needless scenes. Newman is mostly effective, but a bit too attractive for the role of Ross MacDonald’s detective (he refers to Wagner’s character as “Beauty” a number of times, I guess sarcastically). The rest of the supporting cast is just fine (Bacall is a standout, clearly relishing her juicy role), except for the usually wonderful Harris, who’s miscast here as an attractive chanteuse.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/01/25

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Aldo G

Paul Newman leads an excellent cast in a neo-noir private eye story. Script and direction are stellar.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/18/24

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Audience Member

I feel like this movie could be rebooted and updated making it a lot better. It kinda reminds me of LA Noire. I feel like Paul Newman was kinda just in it. He doesn't seem to fit. Yet he's the highlight of the movie. I felt it drug and drug it's 30 mins too long. Somewhere in it lays a decent movie I just didn't find it to be.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

05/31/24

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KB B

It was pretty good but obviously dated. Paul Newman was excellent as usual. It's worth the watch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/24/24

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C

This movie apparently was suppose to be a tribute to Humphrey Bogart. I thought the storyline hard to follow and the movie was excessively violent. Harper (Newman) was not likable charactor. Sampson (Bacall) seemed to be very indifferent toward her missing husband. Bogie had a coolness that Harper (Newman) lacked. The movie ended abruptly without any conclusion. I thought the cinematography was done well depicting the Los Angeles area. Cheers.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

12/14/23

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Jack Smight

Director

Paul Newman

Lew Harper

Lauren Bacall

Mrs. Sampson

Shelley Winters

Fay Estabrook

Julie Harris

Betty Fraley

Robert Wagner

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Synopsis

Struggling private eye Lew Harper (Paul Newman) takes a simple missing-person case that quickly spirals into something much more complex. Elaine Sampson (Lauren Bacall), recently paralyzed in a horse-riding accident, wants Harper to find her missing oil baron husband, but her tempestuous teenage stepdaughter Miranda (Pamela Tiffin) thinks Mrs. Sampson knows more than she's letting on. The film is based on Ross Macdonald's 1949 mystery "The Moving Target," featuring private eye Lew Archer.

Director: Jack Smight
Producer: Jerry Gershwin, Elliott Kastner
Screenwriter: William Goldman
Production Co: Warner Brothers/Seven Arts, Gershwin-Kastner Productions
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2012
Runtime: 2h 1m

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