Metrograph

A Peter Bogdanovich film should always find its way into a Baumbach retrospective.This blue-note character study of émigré life in Singapore may be Bogdanovich’s very best film. An adaptation of Paul Theroux’s novel, Saint Jack 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 sublime supporting turns are Denholm Elliott, George Lazenby, and Bogdanovich himself as a slimy procurer looking to peddle flesh for the Vietnam War effort.