Saint Jack

Director: Peter Bogdanovich

1979 / 112min / 35mm

A blue note character study of émigré life in Singapore that ranks among Bogdanovich’s finest films, this adaptation of Paul Theroux’s novel of the same name is anchored by Ben Gazzara’s wry and rueful performance as Jack Flowers, an American part-time pimp, hustling out a living while dreaming of a home far away. Just as good in supporting turns are Denholm Elliott, George Lazenby, and Bogdanovich himself as a slimy procurer looking to peddle flesh for the Vietnam War effort, while Müller’s photography goes a long way toward establishing the film’s atmosphere of twilit melancholy and tawdry fantasy.

Print provided courtesy of the American Genre Film Archive

Part of Robby Müller: Remain in Light