For fans of film noir, Hardboiled is a delight. Inspired by classic thrillers like The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep and, later, Chinatown, Hardboiled translates the essence of this brooding genre into the language of theatre with great style and inventiveness.
The story follows a young but determined private investigator, Sam Shadow, as he takes the case of the alluring Scarlett Addison, investigating the disappearance of her lover who, until recently, worked at her husband’s company, Addison Electric. Shadow uncovers a dastardly corporate conspiracy (loosely based on the Enron power outages scandal in 2000) and must untangle a web of lies and deceit to find out just what sort of private investigator he wants to be.
The production is a pleasing homage to the genre: the story a careful balance of conspiracy, action, and repressed emotion; the characters, all played by the four-strong cast, conveying every 1940s LA caricature and stereotype. The dialogue crackles with one-liners like ‘everybody’s a nobody,’ and ‘love makes monsters of us all’. It’s a veritable highlight reel of the genre’s best-loved tropes.
To those familiar enough with film noir, there are no real surprises to be found, nothing that can’t be guessed at ahead of time, but then, that’s not really the point. Never taking itself too seriously, the production allows the audience to relax and bask in its dim, atmospheric glow, enjoying the fun and satisfaction of identifying the references and clichés.
The most impressive element of Hardboiled is the way in which it conveys cinematic convention. This is a genre well-known for its flashbacks and exposition and as such the play makes creative use of vignettes, with characters frequently dropping in and out of their own narratives to act out past events and different lines of Sam’s enquiry. Close-ups and split screens are also inventively addressed. One client reviews photographs of his wife’s indiscretions and, perfectly coordinated with his gaze, the cast recreate the scenes in freeze-frame behind him. In a moment that proves a particular favourite with the audience, Sam is chased by an unknown car in the night, two sets of headlamps and two led lights moving across a map depicting a surprisingly tense chase scene, recalling a traditional editing technique, popular in the forties and still used in films today.
Most entertaining of these cinematic-theatrical crossovers were the play’s seamlessly choreographed montage sequences. As Sam solves cases, collects evidence or drinks himself into a stupor, the music rises, the set unfolds and reassembles around him, and an eclectic host of characters join and leave the fray. These moments are meticulously crafted and performed – it feels as though no movement or prop is wasted. With remarkable inventiveness these scenes bring to life every character and set piece you could hope for from a quintessential film noir.
Although perhaps most concerned with showcasing as many generic conventions as possible, strong performances from all the cast and a creative set, sound and light design make for a very satisfying production. Overall Hardboiled brings the classic formula back to life with an enjoyable modern, self-referential twist.