La Femme en ciment

Sinatra once again plays the Miami based private eye he originated in "Tony Rome" a year earlier. He was pretty effective the first time around, but that one didn't have a script as silly as the one he has to contend with here. Of course, scripts never meant much to Frankie, anyway. If the Chairman of the Board WAS bored, or just tired, he'd rip a few pages out of the script to keep things moving. When the movie was something like "Lady in Cement," it probably didn't matter, anyway. Besides, with a more stunning than ever Raquel Welch in the cast, I mean, who really cares?

Wherever Ol' Blue Eyes went, his entourage of goons and sycophants were sure to follow, and one such unfortunate, Pat Henry, a comedian of little talent, is along for the ride as Frank's buddy. Richard Conte, the fine actor from such interesting film noirs as "The Blue Gardenia" and "Cry of the City," shows up, as he often did in Sinatra films ("Ocean's 11," "Assault on a Queen") and provides the mostly mediocre film with his usual competence. The best performance, however, belongs to TV's "Hoss" (Dan Blocker).

The interesting thing about the Tony Rome character is that he's both a tough guy and a guy that doesn't want to have to be tough if he doesn't have to. Especially if the other guy is bigger than him or has a bigger gun. He'd rather keep the peace if possible. In this movie the other guy is much, much bigger than him. It's Dan Blocker, big as a mountain and mad as a wild bear. Frank knows better than to make him mad so he tries not to.

And of course we also have Raquel Welch. Raquel kind of outshines Frank in this movie. She's like a neon sign to 1960's beauty and sex appeal. And baby you can't turn that shine down. It's on all the time, bright as the sun. She's also in her 20's and Frank is getting into middle age. The screams of the bobby-socks girls have long faded away. But that's okay. That's the way life is. You get older and lose some of your sizzle.

I didn't like this one as much as the first one, Tony Rome (1967). So I'm not going to say this is better. But if you liked the first one you can check this one out too. That's what Frank would do.

All the poor marks taken in to account......it's still fun to see Sinatra at his wisecracking best.....Tony Rome and Sinatra are gone and perhaps so are all those Runyonesque characters.In many ways like the music he left us.....even the below par efforts of his later years, there are a few similar films which kind of grow on you and certainly the Tony Rome films can be included. While its not "Some Came Running" or "Man with the Golden Arm" they do compare to the celebrated "Rat Pack" movies which seem to be getting a revival of sorts.Or perhaps it's just that absence makes the heart grow fonder....nice to remember there were guys like that around not too long ago.....like an older relative of mine recently said..."I sure miss those kind of guys".My guess is that as we get further and further away from the days of the rat pack we my become fonder and fonder of Tony Rome and Lady in Cement

As far as a vintage detective thriller, "Lady in Cement" has enough wit and charm to make it memorable. It takes itself just seriously enough to get the job done. Sinatra's second turn as Rome doesn't quite have the bite of the first film but it's clear he's enjoying himself. The weary cynicism of Rome suits him well. The late Dan Blocker's delightful as Gronsky. The recent DVD reissue looks sharp and has plenty of trailers but is a bit light on extras.

Director Gordon Douglas ("In Like Flint") keeps the action moving and Raquel Welch looks terrific. Her first appearance is emerging from a swimming pool. I was a bit surprised to see nudity in a mainstream Hollywood feature in 1968 but, well, this was the late 60's after all.

Follow-up to 1967's "Tony Rome" is saddled with a tired, tangled plot concerning a murdered blonde in Florida and the investigation led by ultra laid-back private detective Tony Rome, who lives on a houseboat and discovered the girl's body while scuba-diving. Frank Sinatra returns to the role almost sheepishly; he isn't sleepwalking, exactly, but his interest in the scenario is blasé at best. Tracing the girl's killers to Miami high society (after Rome's buddy, police lieutenant Richard Conte, accuses Tony of the murder!), Sinatra is matched with hot stuff Raquel Welch as an alcoholic party girl (she makes her first appearance emerging from a swimming pool, bikini-clad of course). But Sinatra and Welch share few sparks in their scenes together--he's much more attentive to Lainie Kazan as a go-go dancer, and has more rapport with Dan Blocker as a mad Russian fond of twisting heads around. Adaptation of Marvin H. Albert's novel "The Lady in Cement" by Albert and Jack Guss, this mystery yarn is an absolute mess, unnecessarily crowded with suspects, heavies, gay stereotypes, brassy broads, hoods and junkies. By the time Sinatra's Rome lays out who-did-what-to-whom, interest has waned. Hugo Montenegro's bouncy score manages to keep things jazzy just up to the final reel. **1/2 from ****