The wandering star of Peter Bogdanovich's directorial talent brilliantly lights up this cynical charmer of a story - set during the Depression - about a Bible-toting conman (Ryan O'Neal) forming a bizarre partnership with a brattish nine-year-old (real-life daughter Tatum O'Neal) who may or may not be his child. Laszlo Kovacs's outstanding monochromatic photography lends an affectionate sheen to their journey through the Kansas dust bowl in which the girl gradually becomes mother to the man. With this, Targets, and The Last Picture Show, Bogdanovich looked set to be one of Hollywood's finest but, sadly, he hasn't quite managed to repeat the excellence of these three movies.

During the Great Depression, a con man finds himself saddled with a young girl who may or may not be his daughter, and the two forge an unlikely partnership.