Review of The Big Sleep (1946) by Laimis Z — 12 Jul 2010

I'm going to go ahead and say that this is the greatest Film Noir ever made, at least in my eyes. It has Humphrey Bogart at the top of his game, I'm not even one of his die-hard fans but this makes him a god among men.

Lauren Bacall also portrays a female lead like no other, being the best non-stereotypical femme fatale. This has all of the upsides to the genre without any of its flaws. There's great dialogue, a beautifully written story and a dark tone.

It doesn't have cheesy narration, cartoonish characters, a confusing or too simplistic plot and it's not hellbent on morals. Howard Hawks' direction only enhances all of this; great sets, framing and focus, and pace.

You are never bored, never made out to be a simpleton and always blown away. It honestly deserves more praise than it receives, very few times have I wanted to go up and kiss a movie screen for being so amazing.