Subscribe to watch - 14-day free trial, then £4.99 a month
Saint Jack
An American pimp spends his days hustling on the streets of 1970s Singapore, but dreams of more, in Peter Bogadanovich’s sultry screen adaptation of Paul Theroux’s novel.
Melodrama 1979 115 mins Not rated
Director: Peter Bogdanovich
Overview
American pimp Jack Flowers (Ben Gazzara) spends his days hustling and grafting in 1970s Singapore, but dreams of establishing his own – highly lucrative – brothel. With the support of his new friend, auditor William (Denholm Elliott, who received a BAFTA nomination for his role), he navigates shady business dealings, blackmail and traumatized US soldiers on leave from Vietnam.
Filmed entirely on location in Singapore - the first Hollywood movie to do so - Saint Jack was banned in the country upon its release ostensibly due to nude scenes and strong language although the real reason was more likely related to the film's depiction of Singapore (Bogdanovich had submitted a fake storyline and title in order to get shooting permits approved). The ban was finally lifted in 2006.
Accessibility
Related
Melodrama
A Hen in the Wind A Hen in the Wind
Drama 1948 84 mins Director: Yasujirō Ozu
In a Japan recently devastated by World War II a devoted, near-destitute mother turns to prostitution to pay medical bills when her son falls dangerously ill.
Woman of Tokyo Woman of Tokyo
Melodrama 1933 45 mins Director: Yasujirō Ozu
Chikako (Yoshiko Okada) works hard to pay her brothers Ryoichi’s (Ureo Egawa) college fees, but disaster looms when he learns the true nature of her work.
Dragnet Girl Dragnet Girl
Crime 1933 100 mins Director: Yasujirō Ozu
A seemingly ordinary typist moonlights as a fun-loving gangster's moll in one of Ozu's most enduring silent films.
The New Girlfriend The New Girlfriend
Melodrama 2014 108 mins Director: François Ozon
Ruth Rendell provides the source novel for this delicious tale of deception and identity, from the master of mischievous melodrama, François Ozon.
Under the Skin Under the Skin
Melodrama 1997 83 mins Director: Carine Adler
Carine Adler’s sexy and dark debut, starring Samantha Morton in her first major feature film role.
Fear Eats the Soul Fear Eats the Soul
Melodrama 1974 93 mins Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Fassbinder’s international breakthrough, this unconventional love story combines lucid social analysis with devastating emotional power.
Recently Added
Two Days, One Night Two Days, One Night
Drama 2014 95 mins Director: Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Academy Award-winner Marion Cotillard’s collaboration with Cannes Festival-favourites Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne is a stunning, tense drama about a woman’s race against time to save her job.
Vita & Virginia Vita & Virginia
Romance 2018 110 mins Director: Chanya Button
Gemma Arterton and Elizabeth Debicki relive a literary love affair, fiery and forbidden, with a remarkable legacy.
Bull Bull
Crime 2021 88 mins Director: Paul Andrew Williams
After ten years’ absence, a vicious gangster (Neil Maskell) returns to his old stomping ground to find his son and take revenge on the gang that double-crossed him.
The Trial of Joan of Arc The Trial of Joan of Arc
Historical drama 1962 64 mins Director: Robert Bresson
The legendary story of Joan of Arc is powerfully retold in Robert Bresson’s minimalist masterpiece.
No Place Like Home: Redux No Place Like Home: Redux
Drama 2019 89 mins Director: Perry Henzell
Perry Henzell’s long-lost second feature is a love letter to Jamaica, as we follow a filmmaker searching the island for a lost actor.
Dogman Dogman
Drama 2018 103 mins Director: Matteo Garrone
Gomorrah director Matteo Garrone presents a masterful tale of twisted friendship, not-so-petty crime and revenge.
New
No Place Like Home: Redux No Place Like Home: Redux
Drama 2019 89 mins Director: Perry Henzell
Perry Henzell’s long-lost second feature is a love letter to Jamaica, as we follow a filmmaker searching the island for a lost actor.
Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne
Drama 1945 87 mins Director: Robert Bresson
Robert Bresson’s tale of sexual intrigue, rivalry and revenge among Parisian socialites, with glittering dialogue by Cocteau.
Dogman Dogman
Drama 2018 103 mins Director: Matteo Garrone
Gomorrah director Matteo Garrone presents a masterful tale of twisted friendship, not-so-petty crime and revenge.
The Trial of Joan of Arc The Trial of Joan of Arc
Historical drama 1962 64 mins Director: Robert Bresson
The legendary story of Joan of Arc is powerfully retold in Robert Bresson’s minimalist masterpiece.
Bull Bull
Crime 2021 88 mins Director: Paul Andrew Williams
After ten years’ absence, a vicious gangster (Neil Maskell) returns to his old stomping ground to find his son and take revenge on the gang that double-crossed him.
Pusher Pusher
Crime 1996 105 mins Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
The debut film of both Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive) and Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale) is a ferociously gritty crime thriller about a drug dealer's dizzying descent into self-destruction.