Gotham [DVD] [1988]

This devilish blend of film noir and Gothic melodrama first aired August 21, 1988, over the Showtime Cable service. Tommy Lee Jones stars as Eddie Mallard, an end-of-pier private eye, hired by a millionaire (Colin Bruce) to do some snooping. Eddie's client claims that he is being hounded for money by his ex-wife (Virginia Madsen). A simple case of harassment -- hardly: the man's wife has been dead for 10 years. As Eddie investigates, he himself is confronted by the "deceased" wife, who insists that she's not a ghost and who eventually becomes the gorgeous object of Eddie's own obsessions. The stars sometimes seem as bewildered as the audience, but the film's excellent production values help smooth over the more confusing passages. Originally unrated, Gotham now carries an "R" for violence, language and sexual situations.