154. Marlowe; movie review

 

MARLOWE

Cert 15

109 mins

BBFC advice: Contains  strong violence, bloody images, language, drug misuse

Apparently, Neil Jordan wanted to showcase Liam Neeson's acting talent by directing him as the complex detective Philip Marlowe.

Sadly, neither his film nor Neeson's acting comes anywhere near the Big Sleep, starring Humphrey Bogart or the further incarnations of Marlowe with Robert Mitchum.

Neeson isn't grubby enough to be this flawed character and he isn't helped by an overly complicated storyline.

It is 27 years since Jordan and Neeson teamed up and gave great vigour to the excellent Michael Collins. I'm afraid neither seems to have the energy they had back in 1996.

Neeson's Marlowe is employed by the daughter (Diane Kruger) of an aged Hollywood star (Jessica Lange) to track down a missing lover (François Arnaud).

Initially, it appears to be an open-and-shut case because he has been pronounced dead after a hit-and-run outside a prestigious private club.

But, inevitably, nothing is quite what it seems in La La Land and Marlowe soon finds his head butting against some powerful folk.

Danny Huston plays the club manager and there are cameos for Alan Cumming and Colm Meaney but, frankly, the talent is wasted.

This is because of a convoluted plot and characters who are so superficial I didn't care whether they lived or died.

I was on the edge of my seat during the famous old Marlowe films because of tight story-telling and supreme acting.

I am afraid this movie could claim neither and is already slipping out of my memory bank.

Reasons to watch: One of cinema's great characters

Reasons to avoid: Too clever for its own good

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 4/10

Did you know? Philip Marlowe was created by Raymond Chandler and first appeared in the novel The Big Sleep, published in 1939.

The final word. Neil Jordan: "I really wanted to see the slow smouldering, burning Liam Neeson that I kind of love. I wanted to see him explore a character in a full and dynamic and really urgent way. I thought he would make a great Marlowe." Coming Soon

Share this post