REVIEW: The Long Goodbye

And my little Marlowe-athon has come to an end with The Long Goodbye, directed by Robert Altman and based on the last cinematic adaptation of a Chandler-penned book (they made another one with Liam Neeson, but that’s based on another author’s book).

And probably because of this marathon, I grew to like this movie much more than the first time I saw it. While I still had a hard time with it, I dug the cinematography more this time around. It leans into the neo-noir aesthetic with a great use of shadow and there’s something about the lighting that lends the film a dreamlike quality, all heightened by the score that’s not completely jazzy but is somewhat close. Also, just like Marlowe years before, the film moves away from the book’s 40 settings to the modern 70s; a lot of this is present not just through the technical work, outfits and production designs, but also those free-spirited neighbors that add to the film’s surrealist undertones. In essence, in terms of style, Altman manages to make it stand out from the bunch by imprinting his own signature; whether that works for everyone or not is up for debate.

Speaking of performances, Gould’s Marlowe may lack the energy, fast-talk, and grit of the books, but I dug some of the weariness and he gets to deliver some great witty lines. As I write this, I haven’t read the book, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they removed a good chunk of the greater lines and banters, because for whatever reason, a lot of these adaptations have removed a lot of this, which one would expect not to be the case, as that’s an essential part of who Marlowe is. But out of the last few we’ve got, Gould is the closest to capturing the magic. In terms of ranking, he would probably be the third or fourth behind Bogart and Mitchum has grown on me—or at least his movies have resonated with me the most, including Farewell, My Lovely, which now I can say is my favorite out of all the novels and books.

All in all, a really solid way to conclude my marathon. The slow-burn and intentionally meditative editing will definitely throw off some and personally it didn’t entirely work for me, but the performances, a few humous moments and a solid case with some good twists and turns make for a pretty good watch.

All in all, a really solid way to conclude my marathon. The slow-burn and intentionally meditative editing will definitely threw off some and personally it didn’t entirely work for me, but the performances, a few humous moments and a solid case with some good twists and turns makes for a pretty good watch.