Runtime: 114 minutes
Directed by: Howard Hawks
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, John Ridgley, Martha Vickers, Dorothy Malone
From: Warner Bros.
Philip Marlowe: Ladies Man?
It's been too long since I've watched any film noir; randomly I decided to finally watch this classic so it could be discussed here. The most noteworthy aspect is the complexity of the story and how not everyone is a fan of that. Personally, it is not THAT difficult to follow and comprehend; paying attention is important but when Marlowe recaps things more than once to another character as exposition, it is not a Gordian Knot that is extremely difficult to untie, in other words. Admittedly, I've heard for years (and presume it's true) that in Raymond Chandler's novel this was based on, he did not know who committed one of the murders. As others have noted, the investigation was more about the process than the end result, although the story of what happened was still interesting.
Philip Marlowe is a PI-or a shamus, as he's referred to a few times-who is asked by an old invalid rich dude to investigate a blackmail case involving one of his daughters, Carmen. Carmen is a wild child so she's been in trouble before; in contrast, Vivian is way more staid yet also causes problems for Philip in other ways. What results are various twists & turns, surprises, murders, etc. To reveal more would spoil the story; I will say that there are plenty of intriguing characters throughout, even if their screentime is limited. I think of such people as the bookstore lady who helps out Philip (and is one of the many women who act like he is absolutely irresistible, which resulted in me chortling whenever it happened) or the small role played by Elisha Cook, Jr.
It was a mystery I enjoyed trying to figure out, it has the usual noir trappings (nice usage of light & shadows, snappy dialogue, hardboiled moments, etc.) and it was simply a delight seeing legendary real life couple Bogie & Bacall interact with each other. Not my favorite noir but still a good time for me... and it may be for you as long as you are not intimidated by the idea of a complex plot.
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