The Woman Chaser

Director: Robinson Devor

Screenwriters: Robinson Devor

Writer/director Robinson Devor has an uncanny gift for
satire, but The Woman Chaser is much more than a
spoof. It is a comedy that goes from black to darker,
its humor teetering just on the edge of the perverse.
Richard Hudson is a salesman, a seducer, and a man who
lives by his wits. A used-car salesman by trade, he
always has one eye on the bigger prize. One day a
feeling of terror and revulsion seizes Richard: He
realizes he’s wasting his life in the meaningless
pursuit of money. His only hope is to pull his
resources, both legal and not, and delve headlong into
a project that will “tie up in a single package his
reason for existing.” What else can that be in the
City of Angels, but to make a movie? The realization
that he has no experience in this art form would make
a stronger man shudder, but not Richard.
The black-and-white photography and strategic use of
locations add marvelously to the style. Los Angeles is
captured in all its noirish splendor. Patrick
Warburton as Richard, the roguish bear of a
protagonist, plays each hard-boiled beat for maximum
effect. In fact the whole cast is magnificent, face by
face, each possessing just the right look and vocal
inflection. (The mother/son dream ballet particularly
is not to be missed.) Although film noir aficionados
may cringe at the blatant tweaking of this celebrated
genre, The Woman
Chaser is actually a hybrid that delivers a very
original slap of amusement.

• Dramatic Feature
• 2000, Sundance Film Festival
• U.S.A., 90 min.

Awards