TV cameraman Harry Hinkle is injured while filming a football game. Seeing big dollar signs, his unscrupulous ambulance-chasing lawyer brother-in-law Willie Gingrich enters the picture, and convinces Harry to overstate his injuries and claim $1 million in pain and suffering. Harry's similarly-minded ex-wife suddenly reappears in an attempt to rekindle their relationship.
Acting
Matthau's sleazeball lawyer won him an Oscar.
Direction
Wilder turns Cleveland into a con artist's playground.
Cinematography
Late-period black-and-white shadows hide nothing.
Director
Billy Wilder
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was the first Lemmon-Matthau pairing; they made ten films together and became lifelong friends.
Wilder filmed during the actual 1965 NFL season, making the Cleveland Browns footage authentically brutal.
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