See Malta and die

Mickey King, a successful author of bloodthirsty pulp fiction, is persuaded to write the autobiography of a mysterious unknown as he is typing up his latest epic, "The Human Meat Grinder." King finds himself in the crosshairs of a killer and meets the sugar baby of aging Hollywood star Preston Gilbert, who is the enigmatic client and has his residence in Malta. When Gilbert is shot, King develops a criminal ambition and solves the case.

This entertaining darkly humorous parody of murder mysteries thrives on the spirit of the late 60s, the Walter Mitty syndrome, and Michael Caine's art of understatement. Unpretentious and cinematic like a pulp magazine, it is enjoyable from the start in King's connected writing office with sexy secretaries to the resolution of the plot, which far exceeds King's creativity. Following the milestone "Get Carter," this is the second collaboration between Caine and director Mike Hodges.