Last night my Frau and I braved the cold and snow and went to see Marlowe.
It was directed by an Irishman, Neil Jordan, and based on a novel by Irish author Benjamin Black (a.k.a.- John Banville) which is a tribute to Raymond Chandler's stories and features his enduring detective, Philip Marlowe.
I know nothing about the novel that is the basis of the film, The Black-Eyed Blonde, but felt that the movie was a fun homage to the film noir of yesteryear. Liam Neeson is the titular private dick and, before long, the femme fatale walks in, one Clare Cavendish played by the lovely Diane Kruger. Marlowe is drawn into a particularly seedy part of the Los Angeles underbelly in 1939.
The first few scenes have some lovely cinematography with plenty of light and shade courtesy of Venetian blinds.
Not knowing anything about the book, I felt that the Marlowe here was light on witticisms and aphorisms. Sure, there was a quip here and there but he's much more weary than witty.
It was a bit funny to be watching a contemporary movie in 2023 with so much smoking. Whenever Marlowe meets someone, he offers a cigarette. Today that's a good way to get a heap of social opprobrium most of the time, if not physically assaulted. Is there a sociological term for this kind of thing? When you share something as a way of breaking the ice with a stranger or easing into a conversation with an acquaintance you haven't seen in a while?
While my Frau really didn't like this movie, I thought it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed delving into the mystery. While the characters were mostly to type, I still liked watching them do their thing. Marlowe doesn't break new ground but I enjoy these retro noir hard-boiled detective tales. When was the last time we had one? L.A. Confidential in 1997?
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