Barfly

Rourke plays one Henry Chimaski, habitué of the Golden Horn, a '40s down-town LA dive where no iceman cometh, but one day battered princess Wanda (Dunaway) does. A few hard days' nights in Wanda's flat has the two barflies abandoning their tentative move towards a mutual expression of need in favour of rejoining the death-wish trail. Chimaski is as articulate as a lorry, so the arrival of 'beautiful' literary agent Tully (Krige) in pursuit of his genius and punchy charm comes as a surprise; his refusal of her largesse is merely a chance to show Integrity. Schroeder's direction of Charles Bukowski's script is consistent with the film's throwaway mood, stresses the upbeat, and mercifully eschews seriousness, cleverly relying on Robby Müller's efficient colour photography to create atmosphere.