I was not on board with O'Brien, I thought he didn't make a very good protagonist at all. He came off a lot dumber than he was supposed to be. Otherwise the film is quite good. A crackerjack mystery with lots of turns and fantastic photography and a strong score. There are some great moments, it's a hell of an entertaining yarn. It feels a lot like a Philip Marlowe investigation. I just couldn't get past my distaste for O'Brien, and really didn't care a whole lot for the supporting cast either.