Review of The Long Goodbye (1973) by Al M — 04 Aug 2010
Without a doubt one of my favorite Altman films, The Long Goodbye is self-conscious, postmodern neo-noir that is eqal parts funny, brilliant, and bad ass. Elliott Gould gives as a stellar performance as raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe, and he is ably supported by a cast that includes Sterling Hayden, Henry Gibson, and even Arnoldy Swarzenegger.
While The Long Goodbye follows in the noir tradition of exploring anti-heroes and scumbags, it also serves as an exploration of post-60s California, a land of drugs, hippie pseudo-religion, shallow identities, and alienated existences.
It is a powerful and stylishly comedic action/thriller that deconstructs our traditional notions of masculine heroes while simultaneously commenting upon postmodern angst, particularly as it concerns the loss of meaning and the simulacral nature of our world and ourselves.
This review of The Long Goodbye (1973) was written by Al M on 04 Aug 2010.
The Long Goodbye has generally received very positive reviews.
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