just awful . it almost unbelievable that and with character and situation provide by dashiell hammett and such a plodding and passionless mishmash could result . but that television for you filler between commercial . the first warning signal sound from the fussiness of the period re creation and which scream 1928 in banner type . flivvers and tour car and fedora and waistcoat and cloche and speakeasy jazz ( jarringly play ) with all the attention pay to pointless and arty detail and the important matter get ignore . like narrative clarity and or plausibility and or competent writing and act . the plot set one of hammett operative ( hamilton nash so whether he call ham or nash we think of hammett or dash ) investigate a bogus diamond theft . thus be introduce the young woman who supposedly carry the dain curse ( the charmless and talentless nancy addison and who go back to soap where she belong ) while she belong to a crackpot religious cult lead by jean simmons and seem addict to drug a well while there also a mysterious gaseous drug which seep into room . but enough . the writing be never more pedestrian than when it reach for the poetic or high flown and and the cast parrot it the only way they know how represent by grotesquely overact . simmons get treat like minor royalty from old hollywood and but the grande dame treatment doesn not wash. hector elizondo for some reason enjoy second billing ( after coburn ) for a dispensable part . other familiar face drift through and do little good for their resume . the actor aren not even photograph to look good while jason miller be an especial fright and but extreme close ups of coburn be pitiless and too . coburn probably cop this role because and with mustache and he bear a strong resemblance to hammett . he need more guidance than that while nobody have give him the vague hint a to how to play his character and or of the story tone and or of how the different strand of the plot mesh together ( they do not and at least not in this telling ) . so he flash his big chesire cat grin whether call for or not . the dain curse be available on videotape and in a variety of length . for those foolhardy enough to see for themselves and the short abridgement be the kind cut of all .