In this film that garnered accolades at the 1983 Houston International Film Festival, award-winning director Wim Wenders imagines what would happen if legendary scribe Dashiell Hammett (Frederic Forrest) actually did some detective work himself instead of just writing about it. After finding himself in the midst of a true-life crime, Hammett channels his fictional gumshoes for wisdom, inspiration and a little bit of bravado.