No Good Deed

Based on pioneer Dashiell Hammett's short story "The House on Turk Street," this jumbled cop-and-robbers flick — which received only a cursory theatrical release before going to video & DVD — enhances neither Hammett's reputation nor those of veteran director Bob Rafelson, his screenwriters nor the surprisingly distinguished cast. En route to his vacation at a fantasy camp for amateur musicians, police detective and part-time cellist Jack Friar (Samuel L. Jackson) agrees to look for a neighbor's daughter, who's run away with her boyfriend. While poking around an iffy neighborhood in search of the missing girl, Good Samaritan Jack helps Mr. Quarre and his wi...