The Black Marble [dir. Harold Becker]

Harold Becker's The Black Marble - adapted by author and former LAPD detective Joseph Wambaugh from his own novel - is an odd movie experience in terms of tonal consistency. Sometimes it wants to be a screwball comedy, and at other times it steps into significantly bleaker territory. That said, the film has charms that keep you engaged even through its issues.

Robert Foxworth is AA Valnikov, a Hollywood precinct cop with Russian roots. At the beginning of the film, he staggers drunk into a church service and ends up snapping his cuffs on his own crotch. His previous partner is dead and he has recurring nightmares of a skinned rabbit; clearly, Valnikov is a man with problems.

This being 1980, the police department doesn't believe in recommending him for psychiatric counseling (hey, a burnt out cop with a service firearm - what could go wrong?). Instead they think it'd be a great idea to saddle Valnikov with a new partner, hard-nosed career policewoman Natalie Zimmerman (Paula Prentiss, channeling Margot Kidder's Lois Lane brassiness). Zimmerman's objections are pooh-poohed away with disturbing insensitivity, and even the script treats her as a bit of a joke. Apparently, all Mr. Valniknov needs to get over what's eating him inside is to pow-wow with the new colleague and introduce her to his borscht-serving family, until they inevitably fall in love, courtesy an extended nightcap session. It's a problematic concept for me, although Foxworth's performance and his chemistry with Prentiss are persuasive. He has a nuanced take on Valnikov - even in his frequently drunk state V is always polite, not the renegade asshole Dirty Harry stereotype.

Then we have everyone's favorite character actor Harry Dean Stanton as Skinner (a reference to the rabbit in V's nightmare?). Skinner is a pet store / shelter veterinarian who schemes to kidnap a rich girl's miniature Schnauzer for ransom to pay his massive gambling debts. Only, it turns out his victim Madeline (Barbara Babcock) may not be so rich as he imagines - she just happens to live in a large Hollywood home, and struggles to pay her bills. There's an engaging banter between the two, as Skinner tries to assert a tough guy demeanor he cannot truly embody, and she pleads her financial woes to him. It's funny till the dog loses an ear, and then I couldn't laugh at it anymore (even though the injury is only implied, and we later see the animal unharmed, apart from a bandage covering the ear).

In a meeting where the intimacy certainly crosses the line for a professional interview, softhearted Valnikov vows to find Madeline's dog. Zimmerman's jealousy is aroused by his show of concern, even if she has a steady boyfriend, as she frequently reminds V...and herself. She gives vent to it by rolling her eyes and emitting disparaging remarks to the victim about the fuss raised for a dog. You can tell that sensitivity training wasn't big for the Hollywood PD, at least in 1980.

But if there are significant tonal discrepancies, the film also has some endearing quirks. Stanton's Skinner is a layered character - he's not an evil man, he's just desperate. The climax where Valnikov goes after Skinner is probably one of the more unique action movie showdowns, taking place in the pet shelter. Skinner's comeuppance in a way mirrors Valnikov's  handcuff accident at the start.

A young James Woods has a two-scene appearance as a street musician.

 

A few words on the blu-ray from Kino Lorber:

The transfer comes off a recent 4K restoration and the bulk of it looks very strong, with robust colors and fine grain resolution. Some shots are softer, but it may be a product of the original shoot. The dialog and Maurice Jarre's romantic score have decent presence in the DTS-HDMA 2.0 track, but I still had to use the optional subs to get some of the slang and Foxworth's mumbled dialog. The not quite plentiful extras consist mainly of a director's commentary and the feature trailer.