THE THIN MAN

Hammett was the quintessential tough-guy writer of 1930s’ noir. It’s interesting to see how he holds up after all these years; you’ll be astounded at how much Nick and Nora Charles drink, for starters. Welcome though it is, this is a less than perfect production. Narrator William Dufris, who normally is in tune with his characters, misses the mark here. The women, even suave, ironic Nora, all sound hysterical and whiny even when they’re supposed to be seductive or charming, which makes it hard to tell why anyone puts up with them. This does not help the rather creaky plot, nor do the forced tough-guy male voices, which sound so alike that it’s often hard to know which character is talking. No shades of William Powell and Myrna Loy here, alas. B.G. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 05]