The Singing Detective

The big-screen version of Dennis Potter’s dark, claustrophobic comedy. Robert Downey Jr stars as Dan Dark, the psoriasis-ridden writer confined to a hospital bed. Desperately uncomfortable, feverish and increasingly paranoid, he begins to rework his first novel in his mind. Over time he works himself into the novel, becoming the detective trying to solve the murder of a prostitute. Others from his real life, including his wife, also turn up as characters in the novel, and soon he finds himself reliving childhood experiences he thought he had forgotten. Film noir, black comedy and musical moments conspire to create the atmosphere of this intense and unusual film.