Overview
A private investigator navigates a treacherous web of deceit and danger in search of a missing husband.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- witty
- sardonic
- tense
- classic crime night
- private eye double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Harper as an entertaining, stylish hard-boiled mystery elevated by Paul Newman's charismatic performance and William Goldman's sharp screenplay.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Lew Harper's investigation moves from the wealthy Sampson estate through nightclubs, lounges, cult spaces, and the city's criminal underbelly.
Harper's sardonic nickname for Allan Taggert and his bantering exchanges offset repeated threats and assaults.
Harper is hired to find Ralph Sampson, and the ransom demand transforms the disappearance into a kidnapping case.
Lew and Susan Harper still love each other, but his work-driven absences are pushing their marriage toward divorce.
Films like Harper, and why
The Long Goodbye
wisecracking private investigator, missing-person mystery, and morally murky Los Angeles underworld
Chinatown
classic private-eye investigation, hard-boiled dialogue, and tangled criminal conspiracy
Marlowe
stylish detective thriller centered on a kidnapping and dangerous encounters across Los Angeles
Point Blank
1960s crime mystery with a charismatic investigator navigating adultery, violence, and corrupt wealth
Movie Details
- Director
- Jack Smight
- Release Date
- 1966-02-22
- Runtime
- 121 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (203)
Cast
- Paul Newman
- Lauren Bacall
- Julie Harris
- Arthur Hill
- Janet Leigh
- Pamela Tiffin
- Robert Wagner
- Robert Webber
- Shelley Winters
- Harold Gould
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Harper about?
- A sardonic Los Angeles private eye plunges into a kidnapping case that exposes the violence and secrets beneath a wealthy family's polished surface.
- What is Harper like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Harper as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Harper violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Harper as moderate.
- What did critics think of Harper?
- Critics broadly regard Harper as an entertaining, stylish hard-boiled mystery elevated by Paul Newman's charismatic performance and William Goldman's sharp screenplay.
- Which films are like Harper?
- Films with a similar feel include The Long Goodbye, Chinatown, Marlowe, and Point Blank.
- How long is Harper?
- Harper runs 121 minutes.
- Where can I watch Harper?
- In United States, Harper is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
